Liar
by Gotyu
Summary: To the rich enemies come easy, be they rich by money or by the love of their family. Being the son of a billionaire was never going to be easy. COMPLETE.
1. Three Days Later

**I haven't done a TB fic before so this is new to me, I will be using a lot of info/facts derived from other fics - brother's and family traits, talents, et cetera, et cetera... I think that's how it works? I love how the communtiy of TB writers seems to have worked together so all the fics go together in one way or another, means less confusion for lost souls like myself! **  
**Anyway back to the fic, this is an Alan based fic with a possible interest for one of the brothers later on. R&R and let me know if you want me to continue x**

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**Three Days Later**

Alan couldn't remember his mother, he'd been too young, the memories had simply melted away along with the snow from the avalanche that had taken her from their lives. Sometimes he thought he could recall simple glimpses of her face or the way she smelt - honeycomb hair and a sweet sakura perfume that forever smelt of the Spring. Though he knew his mind was being filled with the love his older brothers and father had for her, a love that was still painful all these years on.

Sometimes she was brought up in conversation, but the moments were so quick that they just seemed to go overlooked and passed, no one was ever fully comfortable to talk about her absence, not fully. Alan had her hair and eyes, perhaps the son that bore the largest resemblance to her, for some reason he'd always felt guilty for that.

Now his family consisted of his four older brothers and his father all of whom his world evolved around, each of them a piece of his heart he couldn't live without. Each time they jetted off across the globe on rescues he would sit and pray to whichever God would listen to bring them back safe, to keep his heart beating.

It had made him distinctly paranoid, especially when he was at school and barely saw them - spending a couple of weeks for Christmas and a few more in the summer but never long enough to truly feel like they needed him as much as he did them.

His paranoia didn't focus on the feeling of not being needed however, it focused on what could happen when he wasn't there, what could happen when he was but how he'd be so powerless to prevent whatever it was. What would happen if he lost one of them, how he could lose them, how anything could happen at any time and being in the rescue business, was ever more likely to.

Forest fires, volcanoes, land slides, heaven forbid an avalanche, floods, terrorist attacks, hostage situations, one of the 'birds going down, riots, kidnappings, oil spills, hijackings… his list kept giving him more and more possibilities that mulled over in his mind as soon as he begun thinking about his family.

Sometimes he wondered whether he was actually going mad, it wasn't right to worry over things like that but the possibility of them happening seemed to outweigh the small voice in his head saying to let it be, things will be ok. You couldn't know that they'd be alright, no one could tell you for certain so the possibility remained; Anything could happen at any time.

It hurt; the not knowing and the waiting, counting down to the school holidays and then counting down till he would have to leave again. He'd formed a barrier around himself that would set him off given the slightest confrontation. He'd gotten snappy and irrational, arguing with his father constantly and snapping at his brothers at jokes he knew weren't made to hurt him.

He loved them more than he'd ever admit but at the same time kept finding himself pushing them away, unintentionally yet unable to stop himself from letting the harsh words leave his mouth, making them tread carefully around him worried about what would set him off.

Alan knew what he was doing, he was creating his own self destruct but he could do nothing to stop it. He was so afraid of the hurt he felt sure was on it's way that he was scared, he wanted their love and acceptance more than anything in the world yet was worried that he'd prove a disappointment, a failure.

He didn't have a clue how desperately they loved him back.

* * *

There were machines beeping around him, he could hear the steady rhythm of his heart play through them and the sound of his own breathing, slow and steady as he came to. Eyes wearily trying to open and blink back the sting of the light. The disconcerting feeling of not knowing where he was building on his chest.

"Hey sprout, open your eyes for me."

Virgil?

Groggily he tried to blink away the sleep, the light was really making his head pound and the room took a moment to stop swaying.

Virgil was hovering over him, concern in his eyes and he sent a reassuring smile down at Alan. "You've had an accident Al, do you know where you are?"

He shook his head but regretted it immediately, screwing his eyes up against the thumping in his head that made him feel like it was about to split. "Nope." He rasped, his throat felt like sandpaper.

Virgil smiled warmly down, wiping his bangs away from his eyes. "You're in the infirmary on the island. Do you remember what happened?"

"The island?" He looked up shocked, trying to sit up but Virgil place a hand on his shoulder to keep him down. It was an easy victory for his older brother as Alan was in no shape for moving anywhere.

"It's alright Sprout, you're going to be a bit disorientated from the drugs. Try and calm down for me, ok?"

He smiled, his eyes didn't quite meet it but he sure as hell wasn't going to try nodding again.

"We were at the party?"

"Yep. You, me, Scott and Dad. You remember what happened?"

Alan frowned.

"What happened?"

Frowning back at the youngest Tracy Virgil picked up the charts from the end of the bed, jotting down some notes and checking the machines around the bed. He took a moment to answer.

"Let's concentrate on making sure you're ok before we get into details, you've got a concussion which is likely to mean that you'll regain the memories later on. I don't want to confuse you whilst you're coming around from all the meds."

Alan hummed, his eyes losing focus as he looked like he was going to drift off again.

"How long have I been out?" He mumbled.

"Three days."

"What?" His eyes were suddenly wide and even more confused, still trying to blink away the drowsiness. "So why do I feel so tired?"

Virgil chuckled softly, Alan's half alert face reminded him of Sunday morning Alan.

"Meds Alan. They knock you for six, you can go back to sleep if you want."

"Hmm." He took a moment to mull over the idea, it was a nice idea but the nagging at the back of his head wouldn't settle. "Where is everyone?"

"You want to see them? John's come back down from five, been dying to see you since we got you back."

"John's here?" He looked towards the infirmary door as though expecting to see him there. "I thought he still had a few more weeks?"

Virgil nodded, sympathetic smile in place. He leant over the bed and once more pushed Alan's bangs away from his brow. "You're in the infirmary Al, course he's here." He stood back, Alan wasn't as alert as usual which was proving a blessing. Virgil wasn't to keen on answering all the questions he was pretty sure the young blonde would soon have. Questions directed as to why he was in bed feeling like Thunderbird Two had run over him. "You promise to stay awake and I'll go and alert the hoards."

Alan smiled widely. "FAB."

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"What do you mean he doesn't remember?" Scott was stood just outside the infirmary, eyes blazing and face white. He was rolling on the balls of his feet, keen to visit his now awakened brother. "Which bit doesn't he remember?"

"Calm down Scott." Jeff Tracy stood between the boys, trying to calm the situation whilst his own heart hammered in his chest, worry for his youngest over the last few days. "He hit his head pretty hard, he could be concussed. Right?" Looking to Virgil, the doctor of the family he was relieved by his short nod.

"You can never tell with head injuries how much the patient will remember, I'm slightly surprised though - he remembers the rest of the party." Virgil was looking exhausted, he'd hardly slept in the last few days and the worry was taking its toll. He'd been working on caffeine drives but the relief of Alan finally waking up had brought all the hours of lost sleep to the surface, he was beginning to feel like a zombie.

"I'd prefer it if he didn't remember." Muttered Gordon, oddly quiet for once. "Sick bastard could have killed him."

They all murmured in agreement, John running a hand through his hair. "Do we have to tell him?"

Virgil looked up shocked, John was so honest and one of the first unsaid Tracy rules - don't lie to family, he'd just flung it out of the window.

"It's a concussion John, he might still remember…"

"He's not going to be to chuffed if he finds out we've been lying to him." Gordon looked at the infirmary door as though he could see through to the blonde. "But then again how happy is he going to be knowing? We're going to have to put him on lock down on the island, he sure as hell won't be happy about that!"

"Language Gordon." Muttered Jeff, chewing his lip as he considered their options. "What do you think, Scott?"

Scott audibly growled, it had been an effort keeping him from leaving the island to track down Smith and tear the man limb from limb, he was not the type of person to sit idle, especially if there was a threat to the family out there. Perhaps even more so considering the threat was directed at his youngest brother who he'd practically raised.

"You know what I think, if we solve the problem then we can tell him what happened and it won't matter. As long as that idiot's about we can't let Allie out of our sight, I don't even want him off the island right now." He glared round at his other brothers, eyes finally resting on his father who shrugged.

"We can't do anything, we have nothing on the guy other than what we've seen. He rigged the security cameras, no one saw or heard anything." It was frustrating to say the least.

"We were there, dad! Surely that means something?" Scott's temper didn't help, he was almost shouting.

"Scottie, he'll hear you." Virgil nodded to the infirmary door. "We have two options, I don't want to add a third with him hearing the whole thing through a door."

"If Alan doesn't remember then he can't exactly give a statement to the police." Jeff took a second, he'd been thinking through their options of getting Smith arrested since the accident yet kept drawing blanks. "Even if he did they might not believe him, he's under sixteen and has a concussion. Doesn't sit well in court Scooter. Plus I got Lady P to try and find out where he was and he's vanished, no one has seen head nor tail of him."

"Or they have and they won't say." Piped John, a note of despair on his voice. "The guy owns so many offices and companies he could be anywhere, none of his guys are going to tell any of us where he is, even if they did what would we do?"

"Beat the guy to a pulp." Gordon sneered, smiling at Scott who seemed quite taken with the idea.

"Calm it boys." Jeff sighed loudly. "Unless you want to get yourselves arrested and away from Alan then you'll do nothing until we know more. We can't rush into things - Smith is playing this like a pro."

"Probably had it planned out for weeks. We're were lucky to catch them out, their plan was almost flawless." Virgil looked down at the chart he'd taken from Alan's bed. "Frankly, Alan is in the state he is because we turned up and took them off guard."

They stood in silent agreement for a minute, each mulling over the situation and their lack of options.

Scott was the first to break it. "Can we decide whether we're going to tell him so I can go see him already?"

"I say we don't." Gordon let out a long breath. "Until we know more that is."

"I agree." John.

"Scott?" Jeff looked to his eldest once more, concerned at the anger flashing in his eyes. "You agree?"

"Yeah, at least until we know more." He huffed and pushed through the infirmary doors before Jeff had the change to ask Virgil.

"Virg? This ok with you?" John looked to him before following Scott, voice low as he could see the youngest blonde frowning at them from his bed in the infirmary.

"I guess it has to be." Virgil shook his head sadly. "I'm not happy with lying to him though, he'll catch us out. Darn kid is too smart."

"He might remember on his own." Gordon said, backing towards the doors. "Let's give this a chance though."

Jeff was left with Virgil in the hallway, he was keen to see his youngest yet also worried as to the damage.

"How's he doing then?" He asked, eyes on the blonde who was getting easily crowded by his other brothers, a confused smile playing across his features.

Virgil sighed, they seemed to be doing that a lot recently. "He's got a broken ankle, a few broken ribs, those that aren't broken are heavily bruised or cracked, and quite a big lump on the back of his head - I had to stitch up the cut so that's going to be sore without any meds."

"And his other injuries won't?" Jeff rolled his eyes and smiled, patting Virgil on the back and pulling him into a quick hug. "You did great son, I have no idea what we'd do without you here."

"He'd be in a hospital being rude to the nurses." Virgil grinned widely. "We all know how pleasant a patient Alan can be!"

Laughing short Jeff heading into the infirmary. "We'd better go and see what story these lot have told him before we get left out of the loop."

"Yep." Virgil followed. "We really shouldn't have given Gordon that head start".

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**R&R x Next chapter... _Three Days Prior._**


	2. Three Days Prior Part One

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**I love you lot lol, didn't expect so many reviews so thank you so much! ^_^**  
**I have split "_Three Days Prior_" into two parts, it's got a lot going on and needed the set up. Also I work funny times so don't get a whole lot of chances to write, I thought you'd probably prefer a chapter now rather than a ridiculously long one later.**

**the-artist-19 Thanks, nope it's not movie verse. The Tracy boys have the same ages as in the movie but there's no Fermat or Tintin, no incident with the Hood either. I like the play on Alan's emotions in the movie but wanted to make it more family oriented. There are a lot of similarities but I think I can justify this being in the TV section rather than movie.**

babygirl09 Thanking you! I've got the story planned out so could take a while to get through it all!

**Tikatu What a caring, well thought out comment.**

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peacelovegreen *shiny new update for you*

Silverbeard Hoping you like the continuation of this!

MJ2901 More suspense for you, sorry about that ; )

hbruce Thanks, Thunderbirds is new to me so trying to get the right info in. Lovely to hear so many reviews =)

**shadowfox8 *drum roll for next chapter* Really hope this makes sense, great to hear words of advice and encouragement so thank you. **

**Loopstagirl Scott has to be a favourite character just because he's always on edge, hope to see some more Scott madness soon!**

guerrero & bubzchoc &Iniysa Taaaa!

criminally charmed lol loving the nautical themed review ;] I should really get an American dictionary or at least one with "English words not to use", I live in my little English hole filled with English words such as chuffed - sometimes it's hard to get out of! Thanks for the lovely review!

**Pixie P. An update the same day as your review, can't get faster than that! x**

**And so it begins...**

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Jeff Tracy was currently sat in his main office at Tracy Enterprises, growing tired of working through the in-tray on his desk that had reached an inconceivable height. He'd been working most of the weekend, missing Alan's arrival home on the island and the time he would have liked to have spent with the youngest Tracy son. He knew that very soon he'd be feeling a wrath only Alan could demonstrate all too well.

It had always been hard watching his sons having to leave for school but boarding was really the only option, he didn't have the time for home schooling and frankly he'd never found that kind of thing entirely fair. He sure wasn't going to be the best person at teaching home economics - yes, even the boys school did that. Also being taught from home wouldn't give them the type of life experiences and contact with people that they'd need to be good at in order to become Thunderbirds.

Each of his sons hadn't liked jetting off for months on end and he knew each had felt a certain amount of abandonment for it, he'd never felt so guilty the times he'd sent them away.

When it came to Alan that was a whole new kettle of fish, being the youngest he was really only following in his older brother's footsteps yet he had developed a tough exterior image and had become increasingly despondent to the close kind of relationship the others shared. Almost as though he were afraid to let anyone to close, or perhaps worried about how it would look to the outside world - that seemed a teenage thing to do.

Sighing Jeff grudgingly looked back to the work stacked before him, this didn't help his relationship with the youngest Tracy at all. Work always seems to come first but it was either work to fund International Rescue and their luxurious life on the island or give it all in and go for the quiet life.

It was a difficult call but he'd often questioned his older sons about the decision and was constantly reminded that they were standing firmly by his side no matter what. International Rescue wasn't just for them, it was for the good of the world, at this point quitting wasn't optional.

Tracy Enterprises was a huge organisation responsible for the research and development of flight technology, machinery that was rumoured to have been the equipment the Thunderbirds themselves used, development of designs used for a vast array of things; from the smallest workings of mobile phones to the systems NASA used on the ground and from space.

Owning and directing the Tracy Enterprises name was a difficult job but as with the rescue business, someone had to do it.

Jeff actually loved his job, or rather he had done until the recent problems with a long standing business friend had arisen. It was the kind of thing you just didn't want to deal with at a time where the markets were struggling and the price of the dollar for international trading was fluctuating wildly. When things went wrong they seemed to do so with an epic style.

He'd gotten through a mere handful of forms and papers that required checking, signatures, or redirecting, he glanced at the clock and began organising his desk into a more orderly fashion and running through what he was going to say to the guy that would very shortly be sat in the chair opposite.

Taio Zucco had moved over from Italy to Chicago some twenty years previous, marrying an American woman and having a daughter between them. Taio and his wife had been strong friends of Jeff and his own wife Lucille, as both men owned businesses that were expanding quickly they shared many similarities and both women shared the similarity of being married to men with strong career drives.

The similarities between the couples increased five years after Taio's daughter's birth when the man's wife had tragically been killed by a stray bullet in a jewellery store robbery gone wrong. It was the same year that Jeff had lost Lucy, leaving behind five sons - Alan being only a baby at the time.

They'd retreated into their work, their businesses expanding at an alarming rate and beating the competition ten fold. Whilst Tracy Enterprises designed machinery and parts whilst Taio Zucco's made military products such as guns, assault rifles, new designs requiring his constant attention to keep with demand.

For a good year after the death of their wives the men had no home life. It took Jeff a good wakeup call to see the huge error he was making in retreating away from his family so heavily; a car accident as one of his housekeepers drove his sons home from school - Alan in his car seat having been too young to be at school himself.

Thankfully other than whiplash and his housekeeper having a few stitches to her head, they were all ok. But the phone call he had received and the jolt of fear that had run throughout his body was terrifying, from that moment on he had swore that he would guard his families lives with his own, he would bring them up as a father should and give them all the love his heart could muster. He wouldn't abandon them any longer than he already had. He'd always been a strong believer that if you were given powers or the use of power that could benefit others, than that is what you should do. The Thunderbirds were quick to follow.

Tracy Enterprises continued to grow with his employees taking a more hands on role, he was still pretty full on with the involvement of the business but had work sent back to the island and managed the distribution much more effectively and efficiently. It meant he could spend most of his time on the island, he could run the command and control centre of International Rescue whilst also making sure Tracy Enterprises was running smoothly.

Taio did not make the same choice.

When Jeff Tracy stepped back to take a firm role as a father and family man Taio Zucco had buried his head further in his work, annoyed that Jeff had seemingly given up and spent less and less time working together to discuss expansion and cliental. Angry at America who he'd taken to blaming for the death of his wife.

Taio stopped speaking with Jeff for some years after, the mans increasing temper not standing well with the military and work dissipating to other companies. He turned to less lucrative clients offering to give them a step up in the world - for a price.

He'd been in prison for a year for tax evasion, his anger at the world growing but his business also - cliental getting more and more shady and dubious, moving to New York to be nearer - as he'd put it, Italian accent and all - the family. His business family that was.

Jeff hadn't spoken to the man for years, he kept an eye on his stock's and shares rather sadly as he watched his old friend running himself into the wrong kind of areas, his temper being the headline of many a newspaper along with suspicious dealings and the reprimand for many a colleague and worker.

Zucco had appeared in his life a few months ago with an offer, wanting to work with Jeff's company on a design of a helicopter in return for shares in the company. From what Jeff had ascertained, Taio had been working on the designs for some time and had put a great deal of money into the project. As his business wasn't adapt to building and developing such things he had decided to reacquaint with his old friend to strike up a deal.

Jeff was glad to see the man, glad for the first minute before Taio presented himself to be only a shadow of his former self. He still held that air of over politeness and a posture designers across the world would die for, yet he'd hardened; once such a happy family man now his face seemed to hold a permanent smirk. Cocky with the power his business held and overly confident for the achievement he wished to help gain with the help of Tracy Enterprises. The reason for their re-acquaintance.

Jeff Tracy was a smart man however, his research of businesses throughout much of America and beyond was extensive and their development (or in some cases, failures) were well logged and watched. Being the director of such a large business that held so many peoples jobs in the balance made him feel as though this were his responsibility, if businesses started to crash then the market would suffer meaning somewhere down the line, Tracy Enterprises would. Looking out for just your own had never worked in the world of business, not if you wanted to succeed anyway.

He funded many a project which often turned into businesses, charity projects were also a concern - to the public a man as well known and respected as Jeff Tracy appeared to have money to burn so giving it away never seemed an issue. Giving money away was the easy part but watching where it went and making sure these projects developed was a whole new kettle of fish - it required management and commitment from himself and employees delegated and hired to run such ventures.

It was therefore no surprise that Jeff had kept track of Taio's work, kept track of the dodgy dealing and involvement with the law - always on the wrong side of it. It shouldn't have shocked Taio that Jeff Tracy knew about his dealings with mafia bosses across Italy and New York, how he dealt with gangs and not only financed such men to work for him, but supplied them with weapons and ammunition that they should never have needed.

Hoping to see a turnaround in Taio Zucco was clutching at straws yet one could always hope, and that desperate hope sailed out the window very quickly, the man's first words of conversation after years of silence made up his mind easily. Tracy Enterprises would not be tarnished with such dealings, no matter how lucrative they sounded.

Taio had not stayed to chat, obviously angered by Jeff Tracy's snap decision and downturn of his offer. It came as a slight surprise that Taio had arranged a meeting with Jeff's secretary to speak with him once more yet optimism ran rife in the Tracy family, maybe it had merely been a bad day.

The phone on his desk rang. Pressing down on the flashing button Jeff spoke into the loudspeaker.

"Send him in Judy."

"Yes sir."

As Taio Zucco entered the large office and sat himself in the chair opposite Jeff the man turned his phone off, Jeff had always considered the sign of a strong businessman to be the relationship he had with his phone. Turning it off meant that the man was here for business and did not perceive their meeting to be a short one.

"Jeff." He greeted with a nod, a short handshake shared across the mahogany desk before the man arched his fingers together. "Forgive me for leaving so quickly before, it was very rude."

"Don't worry about it." Jeff had always had an easy going relationship with clients yet this one had changed, he felt almost wary and tired, not happy about the offer he knew would be repeated and again, not happy about having to disappoint someone he still saw as a friend - be it distant.

"I can see that you know why I have come back." Taio continued. "I am in need of services you can offer my company and wish once more to try to strike a deal." He waved a hand in the air to stop Jeff interrupting. "I understand your hesitance yet you do not seem to grasp the lucrative prospects of what I am willing to offer."

"Taio, I'm not going to waste your time with this issue." Glancing down at a picture of his boys on the desk Jeff forced a smile. "We do not participate in such deals no matter what the offer, Tracy Enterprises will not become involved with this. I am sure there are plenty of other companies that would jump at the chance of such an collaboration of minds, it would also be helping them…"

"No!" Taio slapped him hand on the desk before him, eyes closing for a second as he composed himself. "They do not have the experience nor ability to help, it has to be Tracy Enterprises." He glared at Jeff, face reddened slightly. "I understand you have read much information on the dealings we have had in the past, but I value you more of a friend than a business partner and considered that we may put such differences aside for the good of my project."

Jeff sighed. "Taio, we haven't spoken in years. Our friendship has dissolved to next to nothing. I don't know what else to tell you. I know you've been living in New York but as for your family life, nothing. How is your daughter, anyway?"

Taio frowned, deciding to indirectly avoid the question. "It is all well and good discussing family yet we are no nearer to achieving my goal. We must discuss offers."

The man was so impatient and suspicious of the smallest things, Jeff barely recognised him from his former self. Jeff was always all to happy to boast about his own family achievements, how well they were doing and what they were up to. Taio avoided the subject with a sense of abandonment, it was worrying to say the least.

"We're not going to make any deals." Jeff stood and held his hand to the door, walking round the desk and opening it. "I think we're quite done, this isn't going anywhere."

Jeff knew the action could be considered rude and no doubt would be but the man was starting to grate his nerves, if they could no longer discuss life outside of work then there seemed no point in the continuation of their meeting.

Taio growled as he stood, eyes piercing Jeff with a desperate scrutiny.

"I don't think you quite understand the mistake you will be making, Jeff. I shall ask you once more to reconsider."

Staring each other down for a moment felt almost like a lifetime, such a combination of forces could do great and quite possibly, terrible things.

"No. Now I ask you to leave."

Muttering as he went Taio left, phone out of his pocket and switched back on as he vanished from the room, the door slamming loudly as he went. A trait Alan was also very fond of, yet it was on the verge of acceptable when a teenager had taken the action.

Jeff sighed as he sank back into his office chair, glad for the man to be gone and relieved that it had gone fairy smoothly - considering how well Taio Zucco was known for his temper. It was scary how the coin had landed so differently for both men, it scared Jeff to think of what he may have become had he made the same choice as Taio - to put work before everything. Yet family would now always come first, fearing losing them made certain of that.

Looking back down at one of the many photo frames on his desk he smiled to see his sons looking back at him, he was proud of each and every one of them, grateful for whatever Gods had blessed him so.

He checked the time once more, in a few hours he'd been meeting up with Scott, Virgil and Alan who were attending one of the yearly functions for one of his offices down town with him. It was rare to get such a percentage of the family together outside the island so the time would be cherished, that was if Alan had forgiven him by then. 

Jeff Tracy smiled and shook his head. Teenagers.

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Please R&R, keeps me going at a reasonable pace x  
(Not a bribe but if you want you can treat it as such) 


	3. Three Days Prior Part Two

**Sorry it's taken so long, I had problems with time and getting things going, also trying to avoid overly English words and sayings... guess I didn't realise how hard that would be until writing an American TB fic! Hopefully it works alright, you have to tell me as otherwise I'll be paranoid ;) **

**Massive thanks to all the lovely reviewers of Chp 2: chocolatelover1, High Queen Susan the Gentle, Iniysa, criminally charmed (love your work), thunderincrimson, bubzchoc, wyld stallion, babygirl09, MJ2901, Loopstagirl.**

**Usually I would go through and thank you all seperately but time + whether you want the fic today or in the next few days... I love you all ^_^**  
**Also I do read a lot of TB fics but usually on the move so don't get the chance to review, I shall make a point of going through and reviewing the ones I read over the next week. Reviews = happiness.**

**x**

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Tracy Enterprises held some impressive parties, in retrospect this one was pretty casual compared to most; It was being held for the employees of one of the larger offices in the city, one of a few yearly functions where everyone could relax and enjoy Jeff Tracy's generosity - coming in the form of free Champaign, an open bar, live music and a buffet. It was therefore unsurprising that almost one hundred percent of the employees of the particular building were filing into the large conference room being used to host the event.

Tables and chairs moved aside to create a wide open area where people were mulling around, greeting each other and the various guests and representatives, Jeff himself was one of the centres of attention. A likeable man that people felt obliged to give their regards to as and when they arrived.

In a corner of the room a small orchestra sat playing, classical music that fit the mood and blended into the background of chatter and the general ambience.

Scott rather enjoyed these functions, he'd been to a fair few over the years and they'd grown on him. Once one of the sparse moments where he was able to spend time with his father, now a friendly atmosphere of old acquaintances, friends and old worked colleagues he'd worked with over the years.

Tracy Enterprises and International Rescue were closer than anyone could possibly imagine, the engineering programmes and development of both were shared, as was the work load. All the Tracy boys - spare Alan who was to young - had worked at some point or other with the company. It was a family business to the extreme.

Glancing around the large room Scott recognised more than a few faces, the jumble of different jobs they all held went together to form the cogs that run the place. This particular office building was largely management of sectors, the health and safety guys took up a couple of floors. If was strange seeing people who usually donned white coats for inspections now dressed in full tux or long evening gowns, each eyeing the other office workers with a mix of friendly agreement or mixed, rather amusing to watch, distain.

Doctor Song was currently talking to Jeff in the centre of the room, a grey haired man who always wore a reassuring smile and had a helping hand to anyone who needed it. A good friend of the family, he'd been through many a medical career yet had now worked for Tracy Enterprises for a number of years, a man who believed strongly in dedication and honesty through any profession. The kind of man Jeff liked in charge of other people, someone who would lead and people would happily follow.

Over by the orchestra stood Janet Singer, her foot tapping impatiently as her husband spoke to a small group of people around them. She was a strong willed woman, dedicated yet with a sharp tongue and matching attitude. Another employee Jeff Tracy would no doubt trust with his life. The woman was humorous to watch, she displayed her emotions so clearly that you could tell when her war path had been set. Scott had worked with her in the past and although he was now keeping a rather large distance - half the room - between himself and the woman, he held a deep respect for her.

Scott knew how much his father loved each and every one of these people, he had been taught long ago that without them the Tracys would have nothing, and a happy workforce was a productive workforce. That included everyone, be you working in the sorting office or up with the board of directors.

Jeff had been moving around the room for some time now, Virgil and Alan had long since floated of - Virgil chatting at the bar to some old friends, Alan not far along from him chatting to a young woman, no doubt trying to score a drink.

Scott couldn't help but smile at his youngest brother, trust Alan to home in to the woman who out of the whole room was probably the closest in age to him. Maybe that was just a teenage thing; home in to your own, or at least the closest there was. Safety in numbers. Smirking Scott turned back to his dad and grinned as the Tracy hierarch approached.

"Where's Virgil gotten to?" Jeff asked, looking around, nodding to the occasional guest who waved his way. "Jack Nibbs was asking after him, they worked together on that STA project a few years back."

Nodding over to the bar Scott motioned to Virgil. "I think there's a few people he's going to be catching up with, he's in his element."

Unlike Scott Virgil had not been to one of these events for a while, as he was the Thunderbird's qualified physician he was required to be on the island more often than not. It wasn't a written rule but Virgil took his job seriously, when he was not on rescue missions he could usually be found in the infirmary making sure all their stock was up to date and that everything was in order, be there an emergency. If you so much as got a cold in the Tracy household Doctor Virgil would be on you like a moth to a light.

"Hmm." Jeff smiled. "What's your excuse?"

Scott realised that he'd taken his usual role as overseer of the family, it was a habit he couldn't seem to shake - not that he wanted to. Stood of to the side slightly he'd spent the last twenty odd minutes watching people come and go and keeping track of his brothers and father. He knew to well that security would keep them safe yet he couldn't help it. He wasn't called Mother Hen for nothing.

"I'm good. I spoke to quite a few people earlier on, just taking a moment out to check on things."

Jeff gave his eldest that knowing look that meant he knew exactly what Scott was doing, he added a smile of reassurance.

"Jeff?"

Scott looked over, behind his father's shoulder to the man who'd approached, not someone he immediately recognised yet familiarity looming. He had three men flanking him, from their suits and ear pieces Scott felt safe in guessing that they were the man's body guards. With his dad being as rich and famous as he was it wasn't unusual that he knew people of the same calibre, but in a room of workers which the night would have been a highlight of the year, it looked slightly strange.

Jeff turned with a look of surprise, frowning momentarily before shaking the mans hand.

"Taio, I didn't think you'd be joining us."

Scott read the undertones of his dad's meaning; _you weren't invited_?

He eyed the man trying to place the face, it took him a moment but he realised he'd seen the guy in the paper's countless time. Scott was a newspaper addict, it was difficult getting them to the island so he had them shipped to the mainland and had to collect them each week. On a Sunday he was usually found by the pool with a stack besides him working his way through the weeks events and news. It didn't cease to annoy his other family members, who when together vastly enjoyed their spare time messing around in the pool apposed to sat around reading.

John perhaps was the only brother that really sympathised with him, so used to spending months up on Thunderbird Five, he himself had developed a taste for novels and whilst up in Five had penned many of him own.

Thinking back to the papers Taio Zucco was a face that had cropped up in them quite a few times; business dealings, dodgy accounts, tax evasion… the list added up quickly and he tried to weigh in what the guy meant to his father, what their relationship was.

"Well, I was thinking about what you said earlier, about family." Taio smiled and nodded over to Alan, his Italian accent rolling over the words. "My contacts inform me that you often bring family to such events." Jeff went to interrupt but Taio held up a hand. "I felt that it was time to reacquaint you with my daughter."

Jeff looked thoroughly confused but a smile crept onto his face, his shoulders relaxing as understanding dawned. "You brought Tess along?"

"Tess?" Scott couldn't stand being out of the loop, used to being the field commanding the lack of control was irritating. He leant forward and held out a hand that Taio shook. "Scott Tracy, I'm sorry but how are you and my father acquainted?"

"I'm surprised you don't remember." Jeff replied with a sad smile, rubbing his face with a hand, the surprised look still apparent on his features. "Myself and your mother were good friends of Taio and his wife before she died. Taio Zucco - not ring any bells?"

"You've probably read about me in the papers." Taio said dryly, obviously not to keen on what the papers had printed, not that Scott could blame the man. But then again, there was never smoke without fire. "We met quite a few times when you were younger, we had a few picnics in Central Park when myself and your father were both opening new offices in New York, family events... Kids and all." He added.

Scott smiled as an image of his mother came to mind, she loved picnics and the Tracy boys had spent a lot of their youth in parks and in the country looking for the best places to have them. He had so many different memories of days out, picnic basket in tow.

He had a very clear memory of flying to England one time to visit Lady Penelope, they'd spent two weeks in the summer with her and on one of their picnic days had ended up sheltering under some trees for a good hour whilst more water than he'd ever seen seemed to fall from the grey skies. The image of his mother - hair dripping wet, clothes plastered to her skin, and a smile as big as any. It might have been an insignificant memory to others but he held that image close.

"That was a long time ago, I didn't know you still knew each other." Scott commented.

"Well…" Jeff sighed. "We were brought together by our two companies less than a week ago, before then I haven't seen Taio in many years."

"No time like the present to catch up, hey?" Taio grinned, nodding back to Alan again. "So, you want to meet Tess or not?"

"Huh?" Scott looked over at his younger brother, still chatting away to the young woman. "That's your daughter?" He added with surprise.

For the first time he looked at her properly, her long dark hair hanging loose over he shoulders, probably around the same height as Alan yet he was still growing, Scott knew the nickname "Sprout" wouldn't last forever. She must have been early twenties, wearing a typical black dress that a lot of these women seemed to favour, simple yet elegant. She was pretty but she didn't stand out, for the daughter of a man as rich as Zucco Scott would have expected more - though he had to remind himself that people thought the same about the Tracy sons and it never ceased to annoy him. Just because you had money didn't mean you had to buy designer everything.

Taio nodded to one of his bodyguards who went over to get her, as her conversation was broken off with Alan she looked over with a hint of annoyance in her eyes, softening as she saw Scott and Jeff. Making her apologies to Alan who glared over at his father, she came over.

"Jeff, Scott, let me introduce you to my daughter - Tess Zucco."

Tess smiled as she joined the small group. "Mr Tracy, it is a pleasure to meet you." Her accent had a distinct Italian accent, not of an American who had learnt Italian but rather of an Italian who had learnt English very well.

Jeff smiled. "By your accent I would guess that you have spent a great deal of time in Italy?" He remembered her as a small child, being only five when her mother died she had been at the age where all children want to do is talk none stop. If his memory served him correctly, back then she'd spoken American.

Nodding she looked to her father before back at Jeff and Scott. "I spent a lot of time there growing up, all my schooling was in Europe. I've only returned here just over a year ago." She looked to her father again.

"I feel that the education system is so much better in Europe." Taio commented, not at all careful to tread around the fact that all Jeff Tracy's sons had been educated in the country. "I would have liked Tess to stay in Italy but children… never seem to do what you would like." He turned to the three men around him and gave a short nod. "You do not need to trail me around, I'm sure Mr Tracy wouldn't mind if joined the party."

He gave Jeff a meaningful look, Scott could tell that the guy was grating his father's nerves slightly but he kept his smile all the same and gave a curt nod as the men left their group. Tess cut in rather sharply taking both Tracy men back.

"I came to try and make a connection with my father who I have failed to see more than a few times in a year due to his work commitments." She glared at Taio. " I have to make an appointment to see him."

Scott was surprised that the father daughter relationship actually shared many a similarity between his own father's and his brother's, not so much now as when they were younger. The Jeff Tracy back then would have put work before family more often than not, thankfully he'd made a significant change and nowadays family was always first, even if Alan didn't always see that.

Taio glared back at her for a second before turning to Jeff and smirking. "I shall leave you to become reacquainted, I have a few calls to make." Looking back to Tess he nodded. "We'll talk about this later."

With that he turned and headed off, leaving Scott, Jeff and Tess staring after him.

"Well…" Jeff looked to Scott for help, he was blanked faced though, surprised at how quickly the man had appeared and then disappeared.

"Let me apologise for him." Tess let out a long sigh. "I don't think he quite realises how blatant he can be sometimes." She watched her father's retreating back before turning back to the two. "Erm… Mr Tracy." She gave a weak, rather nervous smile. "Can I ask you something?"

Jeff could obviously read the tone, so often used when Alan wanted a lift somewhere or something from his father. It held the younger innocence that people seemed to lose as the got older.

"Of course, though I might choose not to answer." Jeff replied slyly, the exact answer he usually gave the youngest Tracy.

Scott grinned, he could see why Alan had been talking to her.

"Well…" He looked down at her feet. "How well did you know my mother?"

* * *

Alan was sat along the bar from Virgil, his brother surrounded by old friends and colleagues whilst Alan was now alone. He hated parties like these, he doubted if his father actually knew what a proper party was. Classical music, employees and champagne Alan wasn't allowed to drink was not exactly his idea of a good time.

He'd been relatively happy talking to the girl that had been called off to speak with his father. There may have been the smallest hope of getting some kind of alcoholic drink the way things had been going, they shared a similar trait of being fed up with their dads. Although he could sympathise with her, something he didn't really want to do as he definitely felt like he was in the sinking boat when it came to things like this. She was easy to talk to though.

Tess rarely saw her father at all, the business man persona playing across the field meaning there was something for them to talk about. He liked her, she reminded him off all his brothers thrown into one with a hint of Lady P for good measure. Plus she didn't know much about her mother either, it seemed a similar trait with both families.

Sighing he turned back to the bar and gave the barman a pair of his best puppy dog eyes, the barman smirked and merely winked at him, obviously not reading the inner turmoil of being the youngest at the party.

"Jeez… can't a guy get a break." Alan muttered and let his head drop onto the bar, a satisfactory knock as he tried to disperse the boredom. Virgil and Scott were wrapped up the same as their father, trying to meet every single person there and from the sounds of things, discussing their whole life story.

He'd just gotten back for the holidays, right now he could have been sat by the pool soaking up the rays of sun, the way things were going he was risking missing the first Thunderbird Rescue mission since his return, it could happen any minute yet here he was, pretty much grounded by his dads attempt at spending time with him.

"You look like you could do with a drink."

Alan looked up to a dark skinned, largely built man. Smartly dressed and adjusting his tie as he approached the bar besides Alan. He shook his head as the barman approached, already holding two drinks he placed one in front of the youngest Tracy.

"Those champagne penguins are carrying them around." He explained, winking as Alan stared at the drink in surprise. "Seems like the friend I arrived with has made better use of his time and left… you might as well take it."

Alan sighed but smiled. "Going to be one long night."

"You hear for the whole thing?" The man asked, pulling over a bar stool and sitting by the blonde. He took a swig of the delicate champagne flute, his large hands making it look like the glass would splinter between his fingers.

"Yup, Alan Tracy." He held out a hand. "My dad's…"

"Jeff Tracy." Smiling the man nodded over to where Jeff stood. "Don't think there's many people in the whole country who wouldn't know who Jeff Tracy is." Turning back he nodded. "Joe Smith. I've been working with another company that's been trying to strike a deal with Tracy Enterprises." He laughed shortly, Alan couldn't really see why but shrugged and took his newly acquired drink. Taking a gulp he hoped Virgil or eagle eye Scott wouldn't notice.

He squeezed his eyes shut, not expecting the sharp alcoholic taste. He'd had champagne before but had seemingly forgotten the experience. It was disgusting.

"More of a beer man." Joe commented, slapping Alan on the back fondly. "Shame only the champagne is free, it must be an acquired taste… or at least one I've still to acquire."

He left his hand on Alan's shoulder and Alan frowned up at him, he wasn't to fond of the friend to friend bodily contact so many of the sports teams at school seemed to hold. Family, fine. Complete strangers? Not so.

He shrugged off the hand but the man just smiled wider and draped an arm over his shoulders.

"You're the youngest right?" He asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Um… yeah." Alan blinked again, the damn champagne was lethal. He was beginning to wish he'd given up and just gone to find some food, then again the finger food wasn't much to his liking either. Caviar just seemed altogether wrong, nobody should have ever eaten it.

He realised that the man was still speaking and shook his thoughts together, it was so warm in the room, and it was beginning to get really crowded…

"What did you say?" He murmured, rubbing his eyes and trying to make the bar stop moving.

Joe laughed. "Well if I'd known a glass of champagne would have you like this I'd have given it back to the penguin!" He gently cuffed Alan's ear and stood, pulling the teen up with him. "Let's get you somewhere quieter hey? I don't think the drink's agreeing with you."

Alan wanted to refuse but part of his mind wanted to leave the room, it was too busy and suddenly much to loud, everything was moving to fast and his head was pounding. He followed rather blindly as the man guided his around people.

"Alan? Hey, sprout?"

* * *

Virgil wasn't as bad as Scott but he had a heightened sense of responsibility for the youngest Tracy brother, although talking to the group of old friends and colleagues he'd been trying to keep an eye on Alan. Every few minutes he'd make sure he knew where he was and who he was with. He'd seen Alan speaking with a dark haired young woman but she'd left a few minutes previously to speak to his dad and Scott.

He had seen the guy approach Alan afterwards and had spent the next few minutes trying to place him, even if he hadn't spoken to all of the people at the party he at least knew them by sight but the man didn't ring a bell. He hadn't noticed the drink until Alan got up.

Trust Alan to get someone in the room to go against Jeff's wishes, said person wouldn't be keeping their job when their father got hold of him/her. Of course Alan would get the mother of all telling offs, and no doubt there'd be another colossal argument about responsibility.

Still, Virgil liked the rebellious side to his youngest brother, Alan saw life in such a bizarre way that you couldn't help but laugh at some of the logic behind his arguments.

He frowned as Alan stumbled along next to the guy he was with, said guy catching the top of his arm and half holding him up. Something wasn't right.

"Alan? Hey, sprout?"

He caught up with the couple just as they were leaving the room, they were stood besides a couple of the massive elevators that led up to the offices of the building.

Alan frowned and squinted at Virgil, it took a moment for awareness to dawn on the blonde as to who it was.

"Virg… I don't feel so good. It's so hot in here." He groaned and half keeled, the man holding him up with an arm round his stomach. He shot an angry glare at Virgil before looking around himself almost nervously.

"Hey." Jogging forward Virgil tried to take the man's place, all too aware of how much Alan hated other people touching him. The fact he'd let the guy lead him from the room seemed pretty bizarre. "You don't look to good, please tell me that glass of champagne I saw was the first?"

Alan huffed a familiar huff of annoyance. "Course it was, I didn't even drink it all!" He groaned and shut his eyes, Virgil now supporting most of his weight.

Virgil turned to the man, leaning across to place a hand on the elevator door to call one down. They'd have to find somewhere quiet before telling Jeff.

"Um… thanks? I've got it from here."

Virgil frowned at the man who simply shrugged and walked away, eyes lingering on Alan a few seconds longer which made him feel distinctly uncomfortable, then again, when it came to Alan they were all a bit overly protective.

He couldn't for the life of him remember seeing the man before. The security here was so tight though, no one could simply walk in…

The elevator doors opened with a ping, Virgil pulled Alan in and as the doors closed took a moment to fully take in his brother, Dr Virgil mode taking over. Alan's skin had gone deathly pale and a shimmer of sweat was now taking over, it didn't seem the effects of drinking at all. Alan had drunk before and having so little wouldn't have affected him so quickly. The flutes of champagne weren't exactly large either, and if he didn't drink the whole thing then there was no way it would have effected him.

It took only a few seconds to reach the next floor, as the doors reopened Virgil had to pretty much lift Alan out, half carrying him along until they reached one of the staff rooms, using his finger print to gain access. Luckily all the Tracy boys had full access to all of the offices and facilities, one of his father's smarter ideas.

Tracy Enterprises looked after their staff, the room was taken over by sofas, a pool table in one corner and a TV the size of one of the many walls partially taking over. One of the sofas was Virgil's aim, helping Alan along and laying him gently down so he could look at him properly.

"Alan? You still with me?" Alan blinked his groggy eyes open and shook his head.

"I am never going to touch alcohol in my life." He muttered, eyes closing again as he took deep breaths. "It's freezing in here Virg… dad's been skimping on the heating."

"You just said it was too hot." Giving Alan a week smile he lay a hand on the blondes brow, muttering as the heat radiated through. This definitely wasn't the cause of alcohol, he was going downhill much to fast. If anything it seemed like he'd had his drink spiked, the thought of why anyone would do such a thing made Virgil shake his thoughts away, they were terrifying.

"Alan, who was that guy you were with?"

Everyone was checked before they came in, everyone. No one could have slipped through unnoticed. You had to have an ID that checked out, you had to be connected with Tracy Enterprises and most of all, you needed an invite. Without an invite you'd have to have some seriously good Tracy ties to get in.

"Er… Joe."

"Joe what?" For heavens sake don't be Joe Bloggs, that's all they needed.

"Smith."

Virgil sighed frustrated, opening his watch and dialling Scott. Joe Smith… not very original. He was surprised Alan had bought it, he was usually smarter than that. "Where did he say he worked?" Virgil pushed, trying to keep Alan with him, the kid kept drifting between awareness.

"Erm… just said he was working with someone… trying to secure a deal with Tracy Enterprises." Alan's eyes blinked open slightly. "You're going to tell Scotty aren't you?" A panicked expression crossed his features.

"Of course." Virgil smiled, telling Scott to Alan was going to be as bad, if not worse, as telling his Dad. "He's going to find out sooner or later, Al."

Alan groaned. "I'd prefer later... Maybe when everything's not so loud."

"Sure you would."

Picking up one of Alan's wrists Virgil held his fore and middle finger to check his pulse, as he'd guessed it was running far to fast. It confirmed to him that Alan had taken some kind of drug - the drowsiness, heightened heart beat and going between hot and cold were definite signs.

The watch vibrated on his wrist as Scott picked up, no image. Virgil jumped, forgetting for a second that he'd even called his elder brother, his voice now ringing out into the otherwise quiet room. "What's up Virg? Where are you and the blonde?"

Virgil took a deep breath, Scott's anger T minus ten seconds…

"Well… we kind of have a problem."

"What problem?" Scott drew out the words, his voice suddenly edged with worry. Virgil had an image of him stood off to the side somewhere or maybe leant over the bar, somewhere he wouldn't look too strange talking to his watch. He could hear people in the background still which hinted that Scott was still in the midst of people.

"Well…." He looked back down at Alan who had his eyes shut again, he wasn't looking to good. "I'm pretty sure some guy, calling himself Joe Smith, erm…"

"What?"

"…Drugged Alan."

"WHAT?" Scott growled down the line. "Where is he?"

Virgil could hear Scott moving through crowds of people, their chatter fading past with a mix of voices. He was slightly surprised that Scott hadn't noticed them leaving the room, he was usually so eagle eyed, a result of the years in the Air Force a few years previous.

"Hey, calm down I've got Alan with me. The guy was trying to walk him out but I stepped in, we're on the next floor in the staff room. The guy's still about somewhere, maybe you should get dad on the case…."

"Neat watch you've got yourself there."

Virgil spun and swore loudly, the Joe smith character was stood in the doorway of the room.

"Scott make it quick, we've got company." Signing off his watch he stood in front of Alan facing the guy, eyes shooting fire. "Who the hell are you and what the hell did you give him?"

Joe Smith, or whatever his name was, came forward slowly, enjoying the small panicked look on Virgil's face as he realised their only route out was blocked.

"Things were meant to be simple, no one would get hurt." He stopped a metre away from the pair, looking down and sneering. "You hand him over to me and things can still go that way, you can walk out of here."

"And why would I do that?"

Alan groaned and pushed himself up, obviously taking a lot of effort doing so as he sagged against Virgil's arm. Virgil pushed him back gently but ignoring the gesture Alan shakily stood.

"You've got about thirty seconds before security busts your butt." He was almost whispering the words and to Virgil's surprise, his little brother sounded quite threatening. It didn't quite dispel the fear of the situation though, especially as the man took another step forward.

Virgil took the chance to charge forward, he hadn't seen any kind of weapon yet but that wasn't to say their wasn't one. He wanted to act before the guy had chance to go rummaging through his pockets.

The two flew backwards towards the pool table, Smith taking a moment to realise that he'd been attacked before gathering his senses. Finally regaining his footing he twisted and used their memento to flip Virgil back and onto the pool table, his head colliding with one of the corner pockets with a thud. He slowly let himself roll over the side and to the floor.

He blinked, dazed, a groan escaping his lips before his vision blacked out. His last thought of Scott who he'd hope would make an appearance very shortly.

That left Alan, staring bleary eyed across at the man who'd just taken out his brother, he couldn't ever recall being so scared, or alone.

With a few long strides the man came over, winking at Alan he wrapped an arm around the teen's stomach and lifted him slightly so his feet were skating ghostly along the floor, Alan struggled but the man seemed to be build of iron and definitely hadn't drank what ever the hell was in the champagne. They headed out the room and along the corridor towards the stairs at the far end, ignoring the elevator all together.

"Security. Will. Stop. You." Alan muttered as his lungs were squeezed between the mans long stride, he tried to wriggle free but knew it was no use. Maybe there was a good reason why he wasn't allowed to be a Thunderbird, right now he was bloody useless.

"Seeing as we've got the cameras on a loop feed and half the security are in the office watching the football, I seriously doubt it." Smith smirked, backing into the stairway and swinging Alan round, right into the face of a rather disgruntled Scott, Jeff only a few steps behind.

Alan rolled his eyes, his heart pounding harshly in his chest he closed his eyes for a moment trying to calm himself. He was trying to stop his head from spinning and the sickly feeling in his stomach but his eyes kept threatening to close.

"Oh for fuck sake!" Smith growled, swinging Alan in front of him and edging around the stair well, "I'll repeat what I said to the other guy, you back off and no one will get hurt." He held a hand to Alan's throat, lifting his head so his brother and father could see him properly, a pained expression crossing their features as they saw his sweaty paled skin.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Scott hissed. "And where the hell is Virgil?"

Alan, if it were possible, paled further. The mans grip on his throat making him rasp for air.

"I did warn him." Smith smirked. "Nobody needed to get hurt yet being a Tracy I suppose the stubbornness was to be expected."

They were circling slightly, now stood across from each other in the stair way, Scott was debating whether to just lunge at the guy. His baby brother wasn't looking to good. Jeff was stood back, eyes going from Alan to Smith, wasn't that one of the guys who'd been flanking Zucco? No…

"What do you want with my son?" He asked slowly, all too aware of the delicate situation.

"I'll let my boss explain."

"What?"

A second later his cell rang, making Jeff and Scott jump. He picked it up and eyed the number, a sickening sense dawning on him. He clicked it onto loud speaker so Scott could hear.

"Taio? Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Scott and Alan frowned at him, not understanding the meaning or who the guy was.

"Fancy rethinking the offer, Jeff?" His voice rang like a bell through the silence, echoing slightly up the stairwell to the floors above. "I think I've just made it slightly more interesting."

"What are you doing?" Jeff hissed, "I'm not going to let you bribe me with my own son!"

"Well." Taio's voice grew suddenly darker with an edge. "You were my only chance, by refusing you are taking one of the most important projects in my life away from me." He hissed the words, anger seeping into each and every one. "You take something this important away from me, it only seems fair to repay the favour."

Jeff's eyes flashed to Alan once more, his son sagging by the second, Smith being the only thing keeping him up. He looked at his dad with watery eyes, fear evident.

"Your guy has to get past two people and then security at the entrance, you really think he can do that."

"Hmm." Taio considered the options, joviality hinting on his tone. "I guess it would be difficult yet it would be interesting to see him try, this security footage is thrilling." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "Then again it could be fun to make this more of a game, lets say he doesn't make it and you get to keep your youngest. It just makes it more of a challenge for me." He laughed dryly. "And Jeff? I do like a challenge."

With that he hung up, the tone hanging in the air and Jeff stared at his cell, disbelief apparent. Slowly his eyes drifted back to Smith a wave of anger taking over.

He went to run at the man, much the same way Virgil had done, his concern for his missing, possibly injured son taking his anger up a notch. Smith swung round and tried to head to the stairs leading down but Scott leapt forward and grabbed a handful of jacket, the momentum and pull made him turn, his grip on Alan releasing at the worse possible moment. Right above the stairs leading down.

Alan fell forward, his eyes widening but response not fast enough to catch himself. Scott and Jeff paused mid fight to watch as he tumbled downwards, rolling over and over until he reached a corner in the stairs with a sickening thud, his head colliding with the wall with a terrifying thud.

"Alan?" Jeff abandoned the fight and ran down, Scott lingering for a second before following, not bothering to stop Smith from running down and past them.

Jeff gently turned him son so he rolled onto his back, his breath sticking in his throat as he noticed the quickly darkening spot at the back of Alan's head, his blonde hair gradually turning almost black with blood. He lay limply on the floor, his breath slowing to a terrifying speed.

"We need Virgil." Jeff muttered as Scott stood back, hand ruffling his own hair as he tried to process his thoughts. "Now!"

* * *

**Review? ^_^**


	4. Twice In A Week

**Huge thanks for all the reviews! Sorry about the awful spelling and grammar in the last chapter - I have spell check and went through the whole thing about five times but my eyes seemed to have a temporal blindness to the obvious. I will go back through asap and make all the relevant corrections. Speaking of which - how do I find one of those reader people that will check it through for me? I'm not familiar with how stuff works on here /fail. **

**Back to the chapter - it's a bit short but i've been having trouble trying to get the organise the chapters and events, in a way it's just a filler but they are much needed so you'll have to put up with it! I'll try to get the other chapter up faster, my mind just seems to have hit a fog at the moment which i'm still stumbling through, occasionally hitting the odd lamppost along the way.**

**Whilst I remember - can someone explain the whole hydrofoil incident? Everyone mentions it yet I have no idea what it's about. ::)**

**Taa, please review! It helps me along with the next chapters ;)**

* * *

It was a week later and Alan was fed up, his idea of summer holidays from school did not include laying in the infirmary waiting for Virgil to decide whether he was well enough to leave. Especially seeing as none of his brothers, nor dad for that matter, seemed to want him out of their sight. Apparently the best place for someone to keep an eye on him was in the infirmary.

"Can't I just sit by the pool?" It was the umpteenth time he'd asked yet he was getting bored silly sat indoors. "Gordon practically lives in there, it's not like I'm going to be on my own."

"Alan you have a head injury, I still need to monitor you." Virgil sighed, again probably one of the countless times he'd done so. "If you go to the pool then I'll have to keep coming to check on things, I've got enough work to do as it is to sprout, I can't just take a holiday to watch you."

"I'm not a kid Virg, I've got my watch... You can just buzz me and ask. Plus I think things are healing pretty well, even you said that."

"Hmm." Virgil leant over the bed Alan was sat on, he pulled a penlight from his pocket and shone it into Alan's eyes, one at a time as he gauged his pupil's responce. "How's the headache going?"

Blinking away the light imprint on his eyes Alan grinned. "You know what? I can hardly feel it."

"Truthfully?" He put the penlight back in his pocket and frowned, one eyebrow raised in mocking disbelief.

"Ok, so I've got a bit of a headache," Alan's wide eyed commitment to the case was impressive but Virgil had heard it all before, "but nothing like it was. If you think about it, it's probably just because I've been stuck in here. It's not healthy, lack of sunlight and all, I'm sure I'm losing vitamins or something."

Virgil chuckled to himself at his younger brother's loose concept of well being. "Vitamin D."

"Huh?"

The brunette retreated to the end of the bed to put some notes on Alan's ever growing chart.

"Vitamin D." He repeated. "You get it from sunlight, helps your body absorb other vitamins." Looking down at the papers in front of him he was glad to see the improvement in his younger brother, even though his slowly renewing health was driving him up the wall.

"Ah right. That's exactly why I shouldn't be stuck in here then!" Alan swung his legs over the bed and almost hopped down before remembering that his left foot was in a splint, his ribs gave a painful twang and he tried, and hopelessly failed, to keep the pained expression from his face. "How long do I have to wear this foot thing for?" He asked, motioning down at the straps around his foot whilst blinking away pained tears, he'd bruised his ribs before and even cracked a rib once - if he'd ever thought they were painful then this was on a whole new level.

"Take it easy Alan, it's going to be up to six weeks."

His older brother came back over and pulled the leg in question back onto the bed, mindful of further pain the action may have caused. "Of course that's dependant on how much you're going to listen to me, I actually have a vague idea about what I'm on about you know. And as for the vitamin thing, you only need half an hour of sunlight a week to get the vitamin D your body requires to help release other vitamins. Somehow I think you meet that criteria just by sitting by the window."

"Humph." Alan rolled his eyes. "I'm not exactly doing any marathons, I don't see why I can't just go and sit outside, it's only a tiny bit further than the window… it's not like anything's going to happen."

It was one of the many moments that had happened in the last week that had begun to make Alan slightly quizzical towards what was going on in the rest of the house - Virgil seemed to go off into his own little world for a moment, his eyes glazing as he stared straight through Alan's foot before shaking himself and ruffling his younger brother's hair with a smile.

Alan frowned, not quite comfortable with the action.

Virgil on the other hand couldn't help but worry, although they were on Tracy Island, the safest place any of them could hope to be, it didn't quite quell that fear in the pit of his stomach of something happening to Alan that once again he might not be able to control.

He himself still had a bump on the back of his head from the fight he'd had with Smith, luckily Alan knew nothing about it but it was ever the reminder of how close he'd come to losing Alan. Sure, going outside and sitting by the pool didn't sound dangerous, but neither did going to a Tracy Industries event.

"Let's just get you back on your feet." The brunette let out a long sigh and put the chart back at the end of the bed. "It can't be that bad hanging out with me, can it?"

Folding his arms Alan repeated the action, letting out his own sigh as he opened his mouth to try and argue the point but a second later the klaxon sounded and Virgil made a beeline for the door, turning as he walked and pointing to his youngest brother with both hands. "You stay right there!"

Perfect.

Alan gave a wide toothy smile, as the door closed behind Virgil he once again swivelled his legs over the side of the bed, this time slowly and with more awareness to his ribs. "No manners Virgil." He muttered, slowly settling his weight on his right foot before gingerly testing the broken left. "You don't get anything if you don't say please."

* * *

Virgil jogged along the corridor to his father's office, by the time he arrived his other brother's were already there, nodding in greeting as he came in. Frowning Virgil noticed that the control centre wasn't out, it took him a moment to understand why they'd been called.

Jeff was sat behind his desk, a pen in his hand absentmindedly tapping against his knee as he turned to Scott.

"Can you go and keep an eye of Alan for me? I'd quite like a word with your brothers." He held his gaze on his eldest, waiting for him to move.

Scott frowned but a prolonged stare from his father sent him hesitantly away, if he needed to know then he'd be told, it probably wasn't worth an argument that he knew he wouldn't win. He paused at the door briefly. "So… no rescue?" He asked, rather pathetically, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand.

Jeff smiled widely as he took in the disappointment in Scott's voice. "No son, no rescue."

"Hmm." He frowned round at the room, rather irritated that they were allowed to stay.

"I'll tell you later Scott, just go and make sure Alan's not planning the great escape will you?" Jeff nodded to the doorway Scott had seemingly forgotten about, a few moments of silence followed before Scott frowned suspiciously around at the room and left, leaving his father and younger siblings grinning after him, Virgil mumbled something about hoping Alan wasn't dumb enough to try an escape attempt but from previous experience they all knew it was useless to think otherwise.

"So what are we here for, dad?" Gordon asked, lounging on one of the long sofa's by the window and letting his legs hang over one of the arms. John sat on the opposite sofa, perched on the edge almost nervously, thoughts running over what they'd been called for.

"It's about Alan isn't it?" He couldn't really see why it would be about Scott, and if it was they'd have involved Alan. It didn't take a detective to work out, though by the blank look on Gordon's face he hadn't quite twigged on yet.

It wasn't Jeff that explained though, Virgil gave a light cough and rather hesitantly stood forward, turning to Gordon and John.

"Well… I wanted to run this past you before Scott for soon to be obvious reasons. I want to take Alan to the mainland…"

"What?" Gordon swung his legs from the armrest of the sofa and sat up straight, eyes widening for a moment. "Why?"

"Not exactly the best time for a shopping trip Virg." John sighed. "I'm guessing there's a reason for this?"

"Let him explain." Standing Jeff walked around the desk and placed a hand on his middle child's shoulder, nodding for him to continue.

"It's not for shopping." Rolling his eyes Virgil sighed. "I need a second opinion of how the sprout's ankle's been set, I want to make sure the bone's setting correctly. Plus I'd like to do some more scans to make sure I got everything." He sat besides John, slowly looking up to him and Gordon for a response.

Gordon spoke first, running a hand through his dark hair. "At least we now know why you sent Scott out of the room."

"Ah, well there was truth in that. Alan needs someone to keep him in one place and if Scott was here then what's to say Alan wouldn't come snooping?"

"Well he's going to be suspicious anyway, maybe slightly paranoid." John said, leaning back in the sofa and looking to his father. "It's not often you use the klaxon to form a family meeting dad, we do have our watches."

Jeff visibly paled, an unusual sight which seemed oddly disconcerting as his eyes looked to the floor for just a moment, his cheeks reddening slightly as he ignored the comment and looked to Virgil. "We were thinking we'd go tomorrow, the longer we leave it of the longer we'll avoid the issue."

Gordon chuckled causing the three men to look at him, an eyebrow raised on John theatrically wondering if Gordon had lost the plot. Though he was still looking up at his dad, a grin spreading across his face as his eyes sparkled with a familiar evilness Gordon seemed to flaunt all to well.

"You pressed it by accident again, didn't you?" He sat up straighter and craned his neck to the usually tidy desk and the mountains of papers that had slowly been building up. The button for the klaxon was obscured by a fallen pile. "Oops. Two times in a week dad, not good!"

Jeff reddened even more, embarrassed to be caught out by one of his sons. He eyed the ceiling with a silent prayer for it never to happen again.

"Twice?" John let out a soft laugh. "I'm guessing the first time was when you called us in to discuss running around the pool… I knew something wasn't right!"

Virgil snorted, unable to keep the laughter away he tried to compose himself as his father shot him a glare.

"It was an accident!" He knew it was a losing battle, he was slightly disappointed that Gordon was there to add up the two occasions, he was far too quick sometimes. Jeff shook his head, all too aware that this wouldn't be lived down any time soon. "Plus we needed a family meeting anyway, so back to Alan. We need to sort this out."

Pulling himself together Virgil sat up straight once more, turning to John who unlike Gordon had managed to put on a straight face, Gordon on the other hand was still sniggering behind a hand.

"I'm going with Alan tomorrow to the hospital, Dad's coming along but needs to pop to the office to pick up some stuff. We're not going to be long, it shouldn't take more than half a day."

John held a hand up to stop his younger brother and frowned. "You know we're not going to let you go on your own, don't you? After what happened with Alan, and you for that matter, we're going to be following you like shadows."

"Especially if that creeps about." Gordon muttered, suddenly growing serious. "You have equipment for scans on the island, can't you just use what you have?"

Shaking his head Virgil knew it was a pointless argument, they'd stowaway on the plane if that's what it took to make sure Alan was well guarded, especially after hearing about the threat Zucco made to keep trying.

"Alan needs a second opinion on his foot, no one here can do that so we need to go to the mainland, plus I'd like to do a larger scan. Sure we can do scans here but I want to make sure nothing's been missed."

"As Virgil said, it'll hopefully only take half the day tops." Jeff took his seat behind his desk once more and began stacking his papers back into piles. Mindfully aware of how much work he needed to catch up on, the worry since the run in with Zucco had slowed everything down, he'd spent most of his time besides Alan's bed trying to reassure the teenager that none of it was his fault and that he wasn't mad at him. If he hadn't felt guilty about lying before, he certainly did now. "We haven't spoken to the hospital yet, I don't want anyone knowing we're on our way until they really need to, that way there's less of a risk of anyone finding out." He let out a long breath and addressed Gordon and John. "I've tried to find ways around this but after talking to Virgil I think it's our only option, we still need to deal with the issue head on but for now we just need to concentrate on getting Alan to the mainland and back and getting the scans sorted."

Gordon stood, his dad's posture indicating that they were coming to the end of their conversation. "I'm not happy with it but I can see the reasoning." He turned to John who nodded in agreement. "We're coming with you though, I'm sure the Thunderbirds can go offline for one day."

Jeff looked like he was about to object but John quickly cut him off. "Alan is worth more to us than anything in the world, if something happened and we weren't there to protect him…" He sighed. "Again. I don't think I could live with myself."

"One day offline dad." It was strange seeing Gordon so serious, his eyes were begging his father to agree but the thought of Alan being in danger once more made him easily cave.

"Ok, we'll all go. Though I still have to explain to Scott…"

"Good luck with that!" Gordon grinned once more, heading to the doorway and sharing a look with John and Virgil. "Hey Virg? Hopefully we'll be seeing you on the other side!"

Standing John brushed down his jeans and went to follow Gordon. "You want us to send him down?"

"Oh that's right!" Virgil rolled his eyes. "Running away to avoid the wrath of Scott, leaving your poor brother and father to face it… How kind."

"Yup." Gordon winked. "Us survivors will need to stick together."

"Ok boys, I'm sure he won't be that bad."

"Dad? Have you ever met Scott?" 

* * *

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	5. Escape

**Ahh the bitter taste of late updates, I know you all adore me for it. This has been not so much a hard chapter, but a hard one to plan with how it snakes in with the rest of the fic. I was hoping to get the next part in with this chapter but I figured it worked better being cut into two parts, I also felt that leaving you on a bit of a cliffy would make you love me all the more ;)**  
**Please, pleaseeee if you have pressed "watch", review me as well. If I didn't get your fab reviews I wouldn't write, I like to know how things are going and what you like and want to see more of. So let me know! **  
**Huge thanks to reviewers of the last chapter. **  
**gotyu x**

* * *

The flight had so far been pretty quiet, thanks to an wound up Scott and no one wanting to light the match that set the fuse, Alan had been able to go about his business without interference.

He'd taken one of the single seats at the back of the cabin, borrowing John's laptop with the pretence of keeping in touch with his school friends via email. His eyes drifted up from the screen every now and then just to make sure that none of his brother's were sneaking up to check on him, thankfully they'd all stayed in their seats at the front of the plane. Scott co-piloting for his father who sat besides him.

Virgil and John were busy going over their plans for the day, their trips to the mainland weren't usually so planned out but right now they seemed to be planning by the minute.

Gordon sat across the aisle from them, spread across two seats whilst he played a game on his phone, oblivious to the glares Scott occasionally sent his way. The eldest Tracy son's eyes on Gordon's feet and sandy shoes which were perched comfortably on one of the leather chairs.

Scott loved Thunderbird one most of all but Tracy one was his second baby, the amount of time he spent in the aircraft whilst it was grounded was often a cause of puzzlement to the rest of the family. It was a blessing that they didn't keep cars on the island.

Turning his attention back to the screen Alan pulled up the search browser, making sure he had his emails on a different page just in case he typed in what he was looking for. Unimpressed with the mixed results that came up as he began to look through, quickly moving from page to page before refining the search.

Tess Zucco.

Seemingly the name wasn't as uncommon as he'd previously thought, with next to no info on her he found himself following the surname. If Tess was at the party then no doubt she had something to do with Tracy Enterprises, she didn't work for them so that left the possibility of her being involved in another business.

Zucco was a name that yielded more results, especially on the business aspect. They had offices close to the one they'd been at that night so logically Alan could deduce that she had something to do with that. Otherwise his search was over, he didn't much fancy going through over two thousand results.

He was searching for her address, this was the tricky part as the websites he had found gave a background of the businesses under the Zucco name and their roles. It was only when the name Taio Zucco cropped up that he started to get anywhere.

He quite easily gauged that this was in fact her father, they had a small but if you looked close enough, noticeable family resemblance. Going back to the search engine he refined the search once more, the results this time were more useful, something he could actually use. He found Taio's main address in the city and quickly clicked open a new page, heading to the main business directory site for the area and watching as the contacts names and addresses quickly loaded.

Bingo.

Tess Zucco. She had a ground floor apartment, maybe half an hour from the hospital, she also held a few other addresses that looped lopsidedly around the entire state but for now Alan was quite happy to follow the one closest. It wasn't that long since the party so hopefully she'd still be around.

He quickly took his phone from his pocket and added the address, mindful to get all the details. Pulling up a map he typed it in so he knew exactly where he was heading, turning up at the wrong house wouldn't do. Especially if his brothers were trailing him.

Sighing he closed the browser and returned to his emails, a hollow feeling of guilt residing in the bottom of his stomach for what he was planning, but anger outweighed that.

He had long since given up on the idea that he had genuinely fallen down some stairs, he'd had accidents before due to his own clumsiness or silly accidents but his brothers and father had never acted so strangely afterwards. They'd become overbearing, obsessive, on edge whenever the klaxon sounded or a call came in.

Plus none of their stories added up, he'd asked each separately what had happened and although the stories were vastly similar the small details that altered them from each other stuck out.

He couldn't remember a time when the whole family had left the island for something as minor as a hospital check up either, it was unheard of. His father's weak excuse of spending more time together didn't justify putting International Rescue on hold. There was no way that Alan could get himself to believe that his father would ever put a day with his sons in front of saving lives, especially if that day out involved moping around a hospital and picking up work from the office.

This scared Alan more than he'd admit, waking up in the infirmary was scary, he had an increasingly sense of paranoia that something else could be wrong. Virgil wanted some tests done on his blood, that was something else that didn't add up. If you had broken bones then why'd you need a blood test?

The explanation had been so long winded and full of medical jargon that he hadn't understood most of it, but he knew they were trying to fog him off with excuses to do with his head injury.

_"You could develop an infection." Virgil had said, perched on the side of the infirmary bed as he flicked yet another needle with his thumb and forefinger. "I just want to make sure your blood's clear."_

If that was all it was then why were they still so over bearing? What if it wasn't paranoia? What if he really did have something wrong with him? A list of diseases, conditions and a huge cancer worry now plagued him. That seemed like the only logical explanation, yet still…

Thinking back, Alan remembered the party for the most part, his memories had been cut short just after speaking to Tess Zucco. He could picture her standing and making an apology before heading off to speak with his father, from that moment the next thing he remembered was waking up. Therefore if he wanted to know what really happened he knew he'd have to find Tess. There was no way he could have made it out of the room to a flight of stairs without remembering actually walking there… it just seemed a strange place to lose his memories.

Since the whole incident Scott had been in a worsening mood, he'd been snappy and irrational about issues such as Alan sleeping in his own bed. He'd been distinctly paranoid, something which had come to a head the day before.

Apparently Scott had been sent to sit with Alan whilst his brothers spoke with their father, it had been a short walk to the infirmary yet after finding the room empty an hour had followed which had all the Tracys searching for their youngest. An hour with Scott yelling and getting more and more distressed over wherever Alan was.

It was only when Virgil had gone back down to the infirmary to pick up a first aid kit to take on their further search that he had found Alan sat on one of the beds reading a racing magazine.

It had eventually transpired that Alan hadn't actually left the infirmary at all, he had simply gone to the adjoining toilet and missed Scott when he'd come in looking for him. He'd found a stash of magazines he hadn't yet trawled though and despite his earlier thoughts of escape, had considered the wrath of Scott not worth it, especially with the headache he had.

Scott had been besides himself, the lecture he'd given Alan had not only not made sense, but left him thoroughly disgruntled with whatever was going on behind his back. The decision to take him to the mainland to get him checked over was a blessing for him but an added thorn in Scott's side. Hence the quiet flight, no one was going to mention that kettle of fish any time soon.

Gordon would have usually have found the situation with the infirmary highly amusing, but for once even he hadn't cracked a smile at the situation. He'd merely rolled his eyes and walked out, muttering something about turning him prematurely grey.

If they wanted stress then Alan felt very strongly that they should have had a day in his shoes feeling the intense paranoia of not knowing what the hell was going on. 

* * *

Jeff and Scott didn't hang round the hospital for long, once they'd all been led through to one of the family rooms to await Alan's tests they had headed off to the office to pick up some work.

Alan was relieved to have a bit more space, though even with just Virgil, Gordon and John hanging around the atmosphere still felt tense. They were all sat twiddling thumbs, Gordon was flicking through some of the girly magazines left for visitors and patients, and John was gazing out of the window. Virgil, however, would be the one flaw in Alan's otherwise faultless getaway plan. His eagle eyed brother was fluttering around like a mother hen, as was always the case whenever any one of them were in hospital.

Virgil worried as much as any of them but when they were coming for check ups or flying in patients from rescues he would get increasingly paranoid with his own diagnostics, questioning himself over and over and checking injuries again and again.

Despite the fact that Alan had been propped up in the infirmary for the last week recovering well, Virgil was once again fiddling over his strapped up foot. The youngest Tracy found himself slapping his hands away as he tried to check his ribs and swatting him from behind as, like a monkey, he ruffled through Alan's hair to check the stitches.

"Virg! Enough already!" Alan glared up at the brunette beyond irritation, no, escaping Virgil would definitely not by easy. "It's a check up, I'm not your lab rat."

Gordon chuckled from the chair opposite, eyes peering over the pink magazine at the two. "He has a point, I swear your worse than Scott when it comes to anything medical."

"Weird." John smiled, turning from the window and winking at Virgil. "Seeing as he's our trained medic."

"It's not like he had all the time in the world on the island." Alan muttered, getting up and hobbling to the chair next to Gordon's. "I'm not dying, right?" His stomach gave an uneasy flip, it was easy to ask but he was concerned as to the reply. Part of him wanted something to be wrong to explain what the hell was going on with his family, yet at the same time the idea of having something really wrong with him didn't bode well.

"No, course not." Virgil sighed loudly and sat where Alan had just been. "I was just checking, plus I hate sitting around waiting, we were meant to be in and out within the hour." He checked his watch and sighed again, aggravated by the time they'd already lost. "Dad and Scott will be back before we even go in."

"Virg…" Alan worried his top lip, not sure whether to be relieved at the answer or concerned. "I don't want everyone coming and gawking at me like your dissecting me, I'd prefer it if it was just me."

The room went quiet for a second as the brothers looked at one another, a silent conversation played through their eyes. Something else that could go on Alan's list of things that were surely going to drive him mad.

"Plus in the infirmary at home you're always going on about people taking up your space and getting in the way, so surely we should respect the doctor's here… they're not going to want all of you hanging around." Alan looked up, trying to read the expression on Virgil's face. "And it'll be quicker if it's just me and the doctor, you can talk to them afterwards." He added hopefully.

"I suppose…" Virgil ran a hand through his hair and clicked his tongue as he thought. "I'd have liked to have discussed your x-rays though… I suppose it can wait till they've seen you." He frowned momentarily before allowing a small smile to play across his lips. "You two ok with that?"

Gordon nodded, returning to his magazine. "No problemo. We'll be right outside."

John nodded slowly. "I don't see why not, I hadn't really thought about it but Alan's right, no point us all going in and getting in the way. Besides… all those machines give me the heebie jeebies."

Alan smiled widely, his mind still set on finding a way to go and see Tess Zucco, the less people he had bothering him the easier it would be. Though when he implied that they could wait outside, he knew that's just what they'd do.

Ten minutes later he looked up from where he sat on a hospital bed, the doctor was shining lights in his eyes and making him follow a tongue depressor without moving his head. The fact that Virgil had done the same a hundred times didn't seem to make a difference. As the doctor pulled away to write on a chart Alan could see across the room to the door, it was shut but through the small window he could see Virgil, John and Gordon sat in a line.

He sighed and glanced at his watch, Scott and his dad could be back at any moment and then he'd have no chance of making a sneak getaway.

"Erm…" He glanced around the room before up at the doctor who glanced over his chart. "Any chance there's a loo around here?"

"You can use the patient toilet, just round the corner." He indicated behind Alan and along the small ward, there were a few people about, day patients or those coming in for updates. The ward stretched down to a wall of wide windows and then snaked off to the left.

Hopping carefully off the bed Alan slowly followed where the Doctor had indicted, pleased that the man didn't seem to be going anywhere. He'd been given a pair of crutches which despite first complaining about he had to admit, it made things a lot easier, and faster for that matter. He followed the ward round, spotting the toilets to his left, right next to a set of doors heading back into the hospital, signs on the walls alerting him to the nearest exit. He felt slightly guilty for his actions but not enough to send him back to his brothers, if they weren't going to tell him what was going on he would sure as hell find out himself.

Too easy.

_

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	6. Plan B

**Hello gorgeous readers! I return from beyond the grave/holiday, ready for another thrilling instalment? **  
**I wanted to make this a really long chapter but time has been limited so I shall bring you what I can when I can and hope it pleases you.  
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* * *

The cab ride to Tess Zucco's apartment took just under half an hour in the heavy traffic of the city, Alan wasn't really sure what he should be expecting, he didn't even know if Tess knew anything about his supposed accident and even if she did there was no saying that she'd even be there to talk to, even if she was what was he supposed to say?

He remembered her from the party and it calmed his nerves slightly, her wide smile and friendliness would be a welcomed break after spending a week with the tense atmosphere at home. Alan wasn't just tired from the aching foot, ribs and constant headaches, he was tired with what was going on and the feeling of being left out of the loop. He could mildly relate it to waiting for his dad to receive his report from school - his stomach forever full of butterflies, the feeling that he had to sneak from room to room before the bomb dropped.

Now they were on the mainland the weather didn't help things, clouds were threatening rain that never seemed to come and the air was slightly too warm to be considered comfortable. It wasn't the weather you wanted when your head was beginning to pound.

The apartment block where Tess lived was surprisingly bland for a billionaires daughter, it was in the quieter outskirts where a large population of the working city must have lived, at this time of day it was quiet and the parking outside was near enough empty.

Paying the driving Alan got out of the cab and looked up at the building, Tess's flat was on the bottom floor. Stone steps led up to a large Victorian style door, green paint cracked and peeling, the letter box slanted and dusty. He had to admit, he'd expected something grander, newer and with a hell of a lot more security. It didn't add up. Then again he had to remind himself that people's preconceptions of his own family were often the source of great annoyance.

He went to hobble up the steps but halted as the only car in the small car park caught his eye, he knew it was foolish but temptation easily gave in and he spared himself a minute to look. A 1969

Chevrolet Camaro wasn't something he was willing to pass by.

Maybe it was because there were no cars on Tracy Island, unless you counted the small machines used to park the Thunderbirds, or the quad bikes used to get from one side of the island to the other. For some reason Gordon had a golf cart, but Alan refused to class any as an actual car. Seeing cars like this didn't happen everyday.

What he was looking at now, however, definitely was an actual car. The black convertible looked incredibly well looked after; tinted glass, power top, front and rear spoilers… it was a collectors piece yet it looked like it was being used. A few parking tickets were hastily stuffed into one of the door pockets and the mats were worn on the drivers side. It actually had a tape player to, he hadn't seen one of those since he was small.

What Alan wouldn't give to have a drive in one of those… Even at school all the cars he ever saw tended to be taxis or what he'd class as "old man cars". Old rolls Royce's, plastic coatings on their seats and a driver at the wheel, always in that sickly beige colour. He'd like to think he had more taste than to find such status symbols appealing, sure a rolls Royce looked impressive and said that you had money, but a Chevrolet Camero said that you liked to have fun.

Perhaps the biggest draw back he saw to becoming a Thunderbird would be the lack of being able to own something like the Camaro before him. He sighed, it was a petty thought served only to add another flare of annoyance at his family. But it was an easy distraction, he hesitantly turned back to the apartment with a sigh, he found himself nervous as he finally made his way to the top of the steps and rang the buzzer. His mind was tossing round the idea of going back to the hospital, ignoring the buzz going on around him and trying to ignore the whole thing.

Maybe whatever was going on really wasn't worth knowing, a part of him had been tempted to face the wrath of his family. Maybe they'd have told him themselves, maybe not.

He waited for a minute but was rewarded as someone picked up on the other end, a tinny voice echoing through into the quiet afternoon.

_"Hello?"_

"Um. Hi, is that Tess Zucco?" Alan stared at the speaker on the wall, for a moment thinking he had the wrong place. Again not sure if he really wanted to be there, wondering if she'd even know what had happened or what the hell was going on.

"_Whose asking?" _

This was the place. Typical answer Scott usually gave whenever anyone rang him.

"Alan Tracy, we met at a party the other night?" He paused. "This might sound odd but can we talk?"

There was a moment of silence across the line before finally the door buzzed open, he shuffled in, slightly nervous that she hadn't said anything, the darkness of the hall greeting him with wooden floors and dull cracked wall paper. Once upon a time this place would have been grand, it might have even looked worthy of a billionaire. Now it looked tired and aged, a large staircase leading up to his right to the other apartments in the block worn and unvarnished.

The only other door to in the hallway opened and he looked over to see Tess, he remembered her from the party though even that memory was slightly blurred. He recognised her though and smiled, holding a hand out to shake. She looked taken aback though, leaning against the doorway staring at him like he'd fallen from the sky, chewing her bottom lip her eyes drifted to his foot and the crutches he was using to get about, something akin to guilt in her gaze.

Letting his unshaken hand drop Alan felt the sense of worry in his stomach heighten.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice low as though someone was listening in, still holding the door half open and blocking the view into her apartment. "I thought you'd gone back home?"

"I did." He looked down, fidgeting with the handle of one of the crutches before looking back, usually so confident with people Alan was finding it difficult to think of what to say. "Can we talk indoors maybe? I broke some ribs and their starting to ache…" It was a pathetic excuse but a true one at that, it might have been a better idea to come _after_ his check over from the doctors.

She closed her eyes and he just caught them rolling as she stepped back allowing him through the door into the apartment, he could still feel her staring as he hobbled past into the large living room.

Again, it was old and looked like it had seen better days but something about the room made Alan relax slightly, the worn leather sofas and DVDs piled by an aging TV and music system was some what assuring. He had to admit to having thought about the kind of place Tess lived, in his head he'd envisaged marble floors, minimalist decorating and nothing out of place. His father had friends in high places and most of them seemed to go for the whole wealthy look, caring far to much about what the outside world would think. It was reassuring to see something he's consider more… normal.

In the living room there were stacks of books, sloped piles with dust and bent spines, an old wooden bookcase on one wall stacked mainly with CD's and films. There was a modern looking coffee table in front of one of the large sofas but it was hard to notice beneath the suitcase and clothes which had been abandoned on top. It looked like she'd been packing at some point but abandoned the idea halfway through, a cracked passport stuck out of one of the suitcase pockets as though questioning its purpose.

Tess led him round to the sofa before grabbing some clothes that had been flung over it and making space for him, she dumped the armful into the suitcase, closed the lid and leaving it in the middle of the floor in her apparent organised mess.

Allowing himself to sit, mindful of the aching ribs, Alan smiled over to her as she perched on the edge of an armchair across from him. She was fiddling with her fingers and still looked worried, maybe just as nervous as Alan felt.

"I'm guessing you know what happened at the party?" He'd been running through what to say but the situation that was presented didn't seem to warrant any of the conversations he'd played through in his head since leaving the hospital.

"I spoke to your dad, Alan." She rubbed her eyes, speaking quickly but with a hush to her voice, her Italian accent flowing around the words effortlessly. "I didn't know he was going to do that... Though maybe I was blind sighted, he never wants to spend time with me… I should have seen it and then maybe you wouldn't be like this." She motioned to him, eyes saddened. "I've been trying to sort the whole thing out." She gestured to the suitcase on the floor as though reading Alan's thoughts on its purpose. "I was heading back to Europe, but now this has happened I'm going to make sure it's sorted, your dad said he was going to keep trying to get to you." Letting out a long sigh she rubbed her eyes. "I can't leave with things as they are."

Alan couldn't help the frown that took over his face, Tess had spoken apologetically, concern playing on her words as she empathised getting things sorted. She leant forward as though wanting to lay a hand on his but not quite managing the action.

"My dad's trying to get to me?" That made no sense.

"What? No …my dad. Tony Zucco." She shook her head as though trying to shake a thought, allowing a frown of her own. "Are you here on your own?"

"Yeah, I'll meet back up with my family later." And no doubt be grounded for a century for running, no, limping off.

"What… why… did they drop you here?" Confusion halted her words, she looked to the door again.

"No… I got a cab. What's your dad got to do with anything?"

"What?" She stared, mouthing the words before speaking them. "Tony Zucco, he sent that guy after you… haven't you spoke with your dad?"

Alan gawped, he couldn't help it. Part of him relieved that he wasn't dying of some incurable illness, the other part swallowed by the sinking feeling of dread. Abduction hadn't played on his long list of possibilities.

"Wait." They'd lied to him, he knew that from the get go but the extent of the lies hurt. Surely if you had someone trying to get to you it would help to know, even if you were trapped on an island with three paranoid brothers and an equally paranoid father. He tried to hide the anger from his words but they were sharp enough to be noticeable. "I had a head injury, I haven't got any memory of the night past talking to you!"

Realisation dawned and she visibly whitened, leaning back in the armchair. "What did your family tell you?" She asked slowly, rubbing her eyes before looking back. "You came here because of that?"

"Well yeah! No one would tell me what was going on, I knew they were lying!" It was ridiculous and it made no sense. "They said that I'd fallen down some stairs! I _knew_ they'd been lying… why the hell wouldn't they tell me that? Some guy tried to kidnap me? What the hell!" His breath was quickening and he could feel his anger pounding against his ribs painfully. "You said he was going to keep trying? This guy… your _dad_?" He spoke the word as though distasteful, looking at her in a new light as she stood and started pacing in front of the coffee table.

"I didn't know they hadn't told you! Christ… that's why you came on your own?" She stopped and pulled her cell from the back pocket of her jeans, tossing it across to land besides Alan on the sofa. "You've got to call them and let them know where you are, they're going to be going crazy with worry." Running a hand through her hair she let herself sink back into the armchair, shaking her head. "I'm sorry… I just presumed you knew."

The look of shock and disbelief, most of all guilt, that played across Tess's emotions calmed Alan slightly. He knew he shouldn't be taking it out on her. "I just want to know the truth." He sighed, holding an arm round his waist to try to ease the throbbing. "I'll phone them when I know what really happened, then they can tell me why the hell they didn't tell me the truth to start with."

She stood again and went through the wide arch towards the front of the building which led to a large kitchenette, returning a moment later with a packet of aspirin and a glass of water.

"Take two of these." She passed him them as she sat once more, rubbing her eyes again before smiling weakly. "Your family are going to kill me anyway, might as well tell you before they do."

She explained as much as she knew, which was probably a lot less than Jeff but a damn site more than Alan. He was surprised and slightly ashamed that he hadn't noticed Virgil's injuries, but that hollow feeling of once again being left out of the family seemed to outweigh the emotion which in turn added another wave of guilt. It was one thing not being a Thunderbird and being left out of that, but when it came to family ties he could think of no worse a betrayal that being lied to in such a way.

Tess obviously saw the hurt on his face, she finally allowed herself to move over besides him and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I know it probably won't mean much, but the way they saw it they lied to protect you. They've been trying to sort everything out before you knew, that way you wouldn't get hurt. That's probably why they've been following you like a shadow since it happened."

Alan rubbed his hands against his eyes, angry at the tired tears that threatened to spill. He was tired and the aspirin did little to dispel the aching pain of his ribs, that pounding headache was threatening to return. "Why did my dad speak to you?" He already knew, he could see the situation in his mind - Jeff Tracy would target any connection to Taio Zucco who had since the accident, remained apparently illusive. Tess Zucco was the first and most easy target for Jeff's anger.

"He rang me." Tess looked down to her hands, fiddling nervously, her voice quiet and almost ashamed. "He thought I had something to do with it, which in a way I suppose I did." Alan frowned but she merely shrugged, letting out a small humourless laugh. "I thought my dad actually wanted to see me, I've been over here a while now trying to fix things between us, we've never been close." She sighed. "I was looking forward to the evening, our last chance to reconnect before I went back to Italy. But when I got there he didn't want to know, he just wanted to introduce me to your father and I suppose direct his and your brother's attention away from you."

"But you didn't know he was going to do what he did?"

"No. I swear I had no idea, if I had I would have stopped him, I would have told your dad, the police, the army if it would have helped... He may be family but he's crossed the line, that guy could have killed you just because of my father's righteous payback on your dad." She growled and stood again, wringing her hands angrily. "I'm going to ring your dad, you need to get back home where you're safe."

She reached over to take her phone from the sofa but Alan took it and shook his head. "I'll ring one of my brothers."

She smirked, she'd had Jeff Tracy's anger directed at her once already, she knew Alan's reasoning. "Big trouble then?"

"Oh, tell me about it." He took his mobile out, noticing a list of missed calls, he'd turned it to silent as the repetitive ringing on the taxi ride over had been annoying to not only him, but the taxi driver who'd been shooting him glares through the mirror on the journey over.

"I could drive you back if you want, if it makes things easier? Are you at a hotel?" She picked some keys off the small table the TV was perched on, twirling them in her fingers.

"No, I was meant to be having some tests at the hospital. We only came over for the day." He did feel guilty, it was hard not to but the voice in his head was trying to justify the worry he'd probably caused them. When it came down to it, if they hadn't lied then he wouldn't be sat here right now.

Although his mind was buzzing round the whole situation something else occurred to him, he watched the keys twirling in her fingers and allowed a small grin. "You don't happen to own the black Camaro outside, do you?"

"The black one?" She smirked. "Is there more than the one?" 

* * *

Scott Tracy was freaking out, it was probably a good job he was still in the hospital as a stress induced heart attack or injury was looking more and more likely. He'd come back from the office with his father to find Virgil, Gordon and John sat around outside the ward waiting to be allowed in. Peering through the door it had taken one small sentence to send them all into full blown panic mode.

"Where's Alan?"

Almost two hours had past, Scott was now stood in the exit nearest the ward his youngest brother had been in, watching cars moving past. He felt utterly helpless, lost. He wasn't used to the lack of control and the feeling that Alan had been taken was eaten up his insides.

They'd checked the entire hospital and the block around it, they'd questioned the doctors and staff, even the car parking attendants as to whether they'd seen him. Jeff was currently in the process of trying to receive the CCTV footage for the hospital, it was a difficult task as everyone seemed to be insisting on protocol.

What was worse was that the doctor Alan had been seeing and many of the nurses and orderlies in the ward had all been telling them not to worry. Teenagers walk out of hospitals all the time, it was just an annoying habit they did when they were bored or fed up of being poked and prodded. He'd turn up, he'd been fine. Have you tried ringing him?

Twelve missed calls on Alan's phone, if Alan had walked out then why didn't he answer any of them? He wouldn't have just walked out, Scott was certain of it.

It was beginning to drizzle now, the grey skies heavy and depressing. Scott was trying not to flip out at the smokers crowded around the entrance trying to stay dry, they didn't seem to realise that not smoking indoors probably included the entrance which the smoke inadvertently drifted through. He was starting to feel sick, it was a hospital, some respect seemed due.

It was lucky that John appeared when he did, red faced from running around the hospital, eyes wide and worried. "Anything?"

"No, you?" Scott turned and let out a long breath, it had to be Alan landing himself in the trouble. It always seemed to be.

"Nothing. Dad's finally got the tapes, he's going to start going through them with Virgil."

"And Gordon?"

"He's taken the car and is rechecking the area." Rubbing his eyes John stared out into the rain. "Maybe it's time we called the cops?"

Scott had thought about it, they all had. But they had no proof that Taio Zucco was involved and Alan hadn't been gone more than twenty four hours, all of them knew it wouldn't be taken seriously until that time had passed.

"Maybe, but they won't do more than we've already done."

"I know but… we need to do something though, I can't just stand here." John was more agitated than Scott could remember seeing him, he looked almost as though he was about to cry, eyes wide and blinking as he chewed his lip and shook his head. "We only left him for a minute Scott! A minute!"

"Yeah well, I think it would have happened either way. We didn't see it coming, we messed up and he didn't even have a clue what was going on." It was an awful feeling, he'd failed Alan, let him down.

John shook his head once more. "I think he had an idea." Scott looked up with a frown. "You can't tell me that the Alan we've known this last week has been the same Alan from before the accident? He's been quiet, more moody than usual, he actually asked me if we were lying to him."

"He asked you?" He'd put Alan's attitude down to being fed up with being laid up in bed and being fussed over.

"After you yelled at him when you thought he'd left his room, he asked why we were lying. He couldn't understand why we were acting like we were… not that I blame him, poor kid's probably been going crazy." John put a hand on his older brother's shoulder, squeezing it gently and giving him a small smile. "But what could we do, huh?"

He growled, tired of standing in the entrance watching the cars pass, tired of the smoke stinging his eyes and tired of the seconds that ticked by where they were without Alan. "As soon as I find that Zucco creep I'm going to make him regret ever coming near out family."

His phone rang, interrupting violent thoughts directed at Zucco. He gave John a sad smile before answering, eyes widening as his father on the other end gave him the news of what they'd seen on the footage.

"You're kidding, right? No… right… see you in three."

Putting the phone down he let out a long breath of frustration as he turned to John.

"What?"

"Our beloved little blonde brother _walked_ out the hospital. Got up and _walked _out." Scott couldn't believe what he'd heard, couldn't understand it but now his anger had redirected its course to Alan and whatever was going on in his stupid head.

"Walked?" John looked beyond mythed, staring at Scott as he waited for an explanation. "You mean… he's ok?"

"Well, he left the hospital on his own. Though God knows where he's gone! And why the hell isn't he answering his phone?"

John's own phone chose that moment to ring, a familiar tune playing out as he pulled it from a pocket.

"Well let's ask him."

"Huh?"

"It's Alan."

* * *

**I haven't wrote in so long I think I'm forgetting how to! You must review and let me know what you think ;)  
Thanks for reading x**


	7. Family Matters

**I have lots of excuses for lateness, all things considered I had hoped for a longer chapter but due to lack of computer access this chappy is a mere 3771 words. I have a shared computer so not exactly great for writing on so you have no other choice but to await updates. The positive side to this is it gives me time to think through what's going to happen and delete/add bits and pieces. And let me tell you... it'll be good ;)  
****  
Anyhoot! Questions and whatnot from reviews:  
Batman theme  
Other than Teen titans I have no idea about Batman so the whole Taio/Tony Zucco thing was unplanned. Maybe I saw it somewhere and it sunk in, alas I do not know. Subliminal messaging at it's finest?  
English/American  
I'm really sorry**** but I honestly have no idea I'm even doing it****. I've gone through a few chapters to try and clean up the English but I can't actually spot it myself. Though in this next chapter I have really tried to avoid Englishness, notice my use of the word "couch". If I say "colour" instead of "color" then please don't get too upset, I am writing in English after all ;) Shall try and make the Tracys speak American though!  
T****hanks for all your reviews, they really do help and make me find time to get to a computer. Also if you're watching and haven't yet reviewed, even if you just do it once in the whole story please do so. It's always good even if it's just to see how many people are reading :)**

* * *

They'd all headed back to the Tracy's apartment at the top of Tracy Towers, including Tess who didn't seem all too comfortable with the looks Scott kept giving her. Every time she looked up he seemed to be glaring, she was beginning to wonder how long it would take before she actually did burst into flames.

Tracy Towers was one of the main office buildings in the city used by Tracy Enterprises, the choice to go there came from the knowledge of the heightened security that had been put in place since the whole Zucco incident, and Jeff wanted to have words with both Alan and Tess somewhere more private.

Alan wasn't feeling too great and he knew it had nothing to do with his injuries, since they'd met back up at the hospital his brothers and father had been strangely quiet, it seemed like the lull before the storm and this storm promised to be a big one. Thinking back on things with the knowledge he now had he understood why they were so worried but at the time finding the truth seemed to outweigh everything else. When it came down to it, if they'd told him the truth in the first place they wouldn't be here now.

Upon entering the apartment it opened into a large living area with a small open plan kitchen, rooms led off to the various bedrooms and bathrooms. It was simply furnished, almost like a hotel but with the distinguishable feature of family photos on the walls and placed on various surfaces around the room. It seemed more like a holiday home than anything.

On one of the walls hung a large flat screen TV, couches arranged around it with a coffee table in the centre. This is where they'd gathered, Alan and Tess sat nervously side by side on one couch, Jeff on one of the smaller couches to the side, and the rest of the boys opposite in exception to Scott who didn't seem able to sit. As soon as his behind so much as touched the couch he stood again and began to pace, his mind working around the situation angrily.

Alan knew this was coming, as soon as he'd walked out of the hospital he'd had the future of this conversation set in stone awaiting his arrival. Now he was here he just wanted to get it over with.

"You can start yelling at me now." He muttered, downcast eyes occasionally flicking up towards his dad. "I know I shouldn't have left the hospital, it was immature and reckless, who knows what could have happened." This is what his dad would usually have said and Scott would have mirrored. He'd hoped the words would have bought him some leeway in their understanding. If Jeff was in a rush a simple apology of the sort would have sufficed, it was too bad Jeff was willing to give up the time to talk.

Jeff ran a hand through his thinning hair, mouth opening a few times before settling on his words. In exception to the avalanche that had killed his wife he couldn't remember a time he'd ever felt more worry for one of his own, even on rescues there were rules and regulations set in place to prevent such fear. This wasn't a rescue though, it was Alan being just that, Alan.

"Do you have any idea what kind of worry we've all been going through?"

He took his time to calm his nerves, he knew how easily his temper could rise and he had been trying a lot harder recently to reign it in. Alan was distancing himself from them and he could see it more and more each day, as his other sons reminded him - his temper didn't help.

"Why did you just disappear like that? And why the hell didn't you answer your phone?"

Leaning back into the cushions on the couch the youngest blonde sighed, eyes rolling towards the ceiling before looking back at his dad with a frown.

"You've all been lying to me, I couldn't get the truth from any of you so I had to get it somewhere else." He nodded to Tess who smiled awkwardly, clearly not enjoying the situation in the slightest.

"You went to the daughter of the guy trying to kidnap you? What kind of idiotic plan was that?" Scott hissed, he'd stopped pacing and now leant against the arm of the couch opposite.

Alan looked between his brothers, they'd all looked at him that way some point in his life but all together? It was disconcerting and he found himself wishing for their smiles and playful teasing back, especially Gordon who had so far remained silent.

"I didn't know Tess was related to Zucco because none of you bothered to tell me what was going on! Do we need to go through this again?" He growled angrily as he thought through the prior logic. "I had scenarios in my head that I was dying of some awful disease! Why the hell would all of you follow me to the mainland for a hospital check up?" He glared at Scott, the anger from before rising once more. "I don't know why you didn't just tell me!"

John spoke from the end of the couch, he was looking at his hands as his fingers knotted together. He was probably the calmest Tracy but also the quietest, his worry showed through is withdrawal. He didn't like getting involved but often found himself stepping in the calm things down.

"We talked about it and the possibility of you running off and doing something stupid seemed to rank top of the list kiddo. And you've just gone and proved us right." He looked up and gave a sad smile, wishing Alan would for once see things as they all did.

Alan glowered, not missing a beat. "Well I guess my idea of you leaving me out of the family once again also lived up to expectation then."

Jeff sighed loudly, staring up at the ceiling and taking a deep breath before turning back to Alan. "You know it wasn't like that… all we've ever tried to do is protect you yet as per usual you take matters into your own hands. It was dangerous Alan! Even if Taio Zucco wasn't after you it would have been dangerous and you know that."

"How come Tess is able to walk around as she pleases? Their family name is as well known as ours yet she lives in her own apartment, has her own car and has so far not called anyone to tell them where she is."

Suspicious eyes fell on Tess as the Tracys thought it through, she twisted uncomfortably in her seat, skin feeling suddenly hot.

"Alan you've not met my dad." She said, eyes shooting their best apologetic look to Jeff who by the look on his face was apparently was still blaming her for a part in this. "Things are very different with us, I don't think you can really compare..."

"Well… would he lie to you?"

"No."

"Well there you go…"

She broke in. "Because I never see him Alan, we don't speak enough to even make time for lies. It would be nice to have a family that actually worried about me when I'm not where I'm supposed to be but unfortunately not everyone in the world has that." She could feel the eyes still boring into her yet leant back and stared up at the ceiling. "Can I go now? I don't really see why I'm at all relevant in this family argument."

She knew Alan would be angry at her for that but it was true, from what she'd so far seen and heard about the Tracy family she knew they'd do anything for each other. Alan didn't know how lucky he was.

"So you haven't spoken to your dad recently?" Gordon chimed in, finally joining the conversation as he leant forward with a frown. The usual spark in his eyes had gone and for once he actually looked serious.

"Nope." She looked up, relieved that the dagger filled gazes had softened slightly. "Not since the party, and before that?" She ran a hand through her hair, thinking through when that would have been. "A few times a year maybe, if I'm anywhere near where he's working I try to but o be honest I don't really know the guy."

She remembered the last time well, funerals of close friends and families were hard to avoid and unfortunately it meant uniting for a joint front. It was just that though. A front.

Scott let out an exasperated breath as though slowly deflating. "So you've got no info on him then?"

"Hey." John smiled softy at Alan, not liking the tone of Scott's voice and wondering how long it would take before he finally snapped and said something stupid. In some ways Alan and Scott were very much alike. "At least Alan's safe, if Tess had contact with her family it might have been a different story." He held up a hand to stop Alan who was about to cut in. "All we're saying is that we were worried Sprout, ok? I can understand why you did it and how paranoid you must have been but you can't just take off like that."

The youngest Tracy rolled his eyes, John was hard to be mad with. He just had that look that made you forgive him in an instant.

Tess interrupted. "I didn't say I didn't have info. I said I hadn't seen him in a while." Eyes shot back to her and she sat up. "The only reason I'm still in this country is because I was trying to sort this problem out, ever since you spoke to me I've been trying to trace my father."

She looked to Jeff who nodded for her to continue, her voice had a tone of exasperation yet she ploughed on anyway.

"I can give you all the info I have but if you're going to get involved then I guess I'm going to have to stay for the ride." She wasn't happy about that but by the way the men grouped together to protect their own she knew she didn't have a choice. So much for going home.

"What kind of info?" Scott frowned once more, slowly edging his way onto the couch as his temper resided slightly, forcing his other brothers to shuffle up.

She smiled. "I might not know where he is but I know where he's going to be. It's next week though, I had planned on going on my own…"

"Where?" Gordon sat forward and suddenly there was a line of Tracys looking set for action. All except Virgil.

"As useful as this is, can I check over Alan before he falls asleep?" Virgil had stood in a motion that suggested the end to the evening debate. "I want to check him over and make sure he hasn't done any more damage to those ribs or foot and I'm sure as hell we're not going to be chasing Taio Zucco tonight. Right?"

The scowl he gave made Alan shiver slightly and unconsciously scoot closer to Tess, he was happy not to be on one side of the almighty shouting match he had expected yet his thoughts had been so busy thinking about what would happen that he'd forgotten to add the minor details like Virgil wanting to check on him. That was always a certainty and the fact that he'd avoided medical attention to begin with wasn't going to bode well.

Luckily Jeff broke in before he had to voice his distemper with the planned check over, standing his other sons followed leaving Alan and Tess sat. "I need to speak to you." He motioned to Scott, unsurprisingly his constant second in command and backup. "In private. The rest of you… Virgil?" The brunette nodded. "Go into one of the bedrooms and check Alan over. Tess?" She looked over warily. "Could you go with them? I need to speak to you in a bit and discuss what we're going to do. If that's ok?"

"Fab." She muttered, lazily following Alan and Virgil away. She missed the frown Scott sent her way.

Gordon was rolling back and forth on the balls of his feet, he had managed to position himself in front of one of the main phone lines without seemingly moving. "Can we get some food in? All this wild goose chasing makes a man hungry." A simple smile from Jeff was all he needed to begin dialling.

"John? Can I speak with you to." Jeff, Scott and John headed over to the small kitchen area whilst Tess, Virgil and Alan left.

"Not really sure why you need to check me over." He grumbled, hobbling over to the first bedroom leading off from the living area. "If I'd damaged anything I'd just tell you…" The door swung shut behind them and Alan found himself steered towards the bed at the end of the room.

As with the living and kitchen area the bedrooms were simply decorated and strongly resembled a high rating hotel, the bed made in a way that just told you that someone had been employed to do it.

"Ye have little faith." Virgil chuckled, smiling at Tess who had already caught on to Alan's constant grumbles and simply smiled back in that knowing way. "Come on, lay down. Let's get a look at those aching bones of yours."

With Virgil hovering over the blonde and Tess sitting awkwardly at the end of the bed Alan lifted his shirt before his older brother did it for him, his stomach was still a mass of different shades of blues and yellows and although his brother was gentle he couldn't help hiss in pain as he ran his hands over them.

"How do you even know what you're looking for?" Tess asked after a minute, she'd been playing with the ends of her hair but her eyes occasionally looked over in question. She didn't want to make Alan any more uncomfortable than he already was but couldn't help but be intrigued.

"He's a doctor." Alan hissed as Virgil felt along a particularly painful rib. He'd begun to wish he'd worn the ridiculous looking guard that was meant to protect his ribs whilst they healed. He'd tried it once and the resemblance to a ice hockey player had thoroughly discouraged him from wearing the thing.

"A doctor?" She sat back on the bed crossed legged and swivelled slightly, one sceptically raised brow. "How old are you? Twenty?"

"Twenty one." Virgil blushed slightly, it was a familiar question whenever people found out he was medically trained yet he still hadn't gotten used to the embarrassment.

She tilted her head looking at Alan for some kind of explanation as Virgil didn't seem like he was about to divulge any more info on the matter. The brunette had busied himself checking Alan.

Alan grinned widely, he didn't mind divulging any info that might embarrass his siblings. "He graduated when he was fourteen, he was a doctor by nineteen. Virge here is your first rate nerd."

Rolling his eyes Virgil risked a look up at the now astonished Tess, it took her a moment but she grinned at him. "Well that's impressive." She chuckled. "Here's me thinking you Tracy kids were normal."

* * *

Jeff leant against a worktop in the small kitchenette area of the apartment, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he ran through what he wanted to happen. Scott and John stood there expectantly, Scott's eyes slowly drifting to the coffee machine hopefully.

"Right." Jeff finally straightened up, tapping his fingers for a second before smiling in a way he hoped was confident. "Here's what we're going to do, I'll speak to Tess but if she's right then we have a bit of time before we can catch up with Zucco again. We can't leave International Rescue in limbo for that long so I'm going to send some of you boys back to manage things."

"Wait, wait, wait." Scott frowned. "You're going to make us going home whilst Alan's still in danger? Why don't we just take him with us?"

"I've thought about it but I spoke to Virgil earlier and we've both agreed that he needs to get those ribs looked at properly, without running off. So he's going to need to stay another day at least. I can always send back after that."

John nodded at the idea. "I'm guessing you're not sending us all back? Surely you need some backup?"

"Way ahead of you son." Jeff smiled and went over to the coffee maker, flicking it on in the hope that Scott's fixation on it would lesson. He didn't know who craved coffee more, him or his eldest son. "Virgil will need to stay to manage Alan's injuries, and I'd like Scott to stay to help with the Zucco situation. Are you ok with that?" He gave John a hard look trying to weigh up how well this was going to go down, he breathed a sigh of relief as the blonde nodded.

"I'm ok with it though I'm not sure Gordon will be, I'm not totally happy but I think it's probably for the best. You sure we'll be able to cope with two men?"

"You'll have Brains, he will act as your command and control centre on the island in case you're called out. And if you put out an alert that the Thunderbirds are running on a low capacity then hopefully you won't be inundated with unnecessary calls." He withdrew his cell from a pocket and put it on the worktop. "If you need anything don't hesitate to call, no matter what time of the day or wherever you are. I'll take the satellite phone as well, any questions?"

"What are we going to do?" Scott looked over to the closed door of the bedroom his youngest brother was in, he was sure that the concern over the last few hours would be sending him prematurely grey.

"I want you to take Tess back to her flat so she can pick up some stuff, I'll have a word with her but hopefully she'll stay and help out however she can."

Scott couldn't help but frown. "You trust her then?" They'd known her all of ten minutes, he couldn't help but be disbelieving to this whole honesty act she was playing. Sure she'd seemed genuine enough at the party but people could be whoever they wanted among strangers.

"I'd consider myself quite a good judge of people and so far she hasn't put a foot wrong, so yes I think I do." Jeff looked to John for his opinion. "What do you think? Even if I'm wrong I'd prefer to keep her close."

"I'm with you, dad. At least talk to her first and see where she stands though, we can't jump the gun and presume she'll stay. I know she said she'd help but that didn't quite involve living with us." John didn't like judging people from the first impression but he was happy for Tess to stay if it meant it helped, he could also understand the distaste for such an idea from Scott however. They're whole lives were full of trust issues and letting an unknown person walk into their lives wasn't going to be easy. "We'd better tell Gordon before he's distracted by pizza."

Jeff chuckled.

"I'm not sure about you boys but I think I'd quite easily be distracted by some pizza right now."

* * *

**I am going to involve all the Tracys in this so if you feel Gordon has been somewhat left out so far, don't worry! He's not sat in a corner crying over lack of involvement. **

**x**


	8. Paranoia

**Long story short - my desktop has been having freezing frenzies resulting in an inability to get any work done. Very annoying, no work means no money and no money means unexciting shopping trips… and bills. Also means no time for writing fics. **  
**So being as incredibly smart and gifted as I am, I have bought a… what's the word? Web book? Incredibly cute mini laptop! I'm going to get the desktop cleared but will use the mini version for writing. This will result in more updates.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has thus far commented on the fic, I love the TB community and the feedback is great. Though as per usual I shall be greedy and ask for more… feedback that is. (I will update faster from now on)**

* * *

Scott was on taxi duty, taking Tess back to her apartment to pick up some clothes and whatever she needed before heading back to take John and Gordon back to the landing strip, on which they'd left Tracy One. He was relieved not to have been sent home with his brothers, yet still was finding it hard to accept the fact that Tess was being allowed to actually stay with them. If anyone came to the island, even family, there'd be weeks of background and police checks, anything that showed up would be risk assessed and it would all take time. Time they apparently could afford to throw out the window.

No. Scott Tracy wasn't happy.

He was currently sat in the front of a yellow cab heading towards her flat, Tess sat daydreaming out of the back passenger window. Daydreaming or planning, either way Scott just didn't trust her.

The feeling hadn't been helped when he'd walked into the bedroom Alan, Tess, and Virgil had been frequenting whilst he'd been speaking to his father. Apparently Virgil had been explaining to her how he was able to check cracked or broken ribs by touch, and had then gone on to explain about his floating rib and how if you put your fingers like _that_, and pushed down like _that_, you could feel it.

For some reason beyond Scott's understanding, the situation he'd walked in on had involved Tess sat straddled on top of Virgil, tickling him to within an inch of his life. Alan mean while was doubled up laughing as much as his own ribs would allow him as he watched Virgil squirming about begging for him to stop her.

Of course all Scott had seen was Tess trying to wiggle her way into their lives by buttering up his brothers and father, the reason being as yet unknown but he did not like her around any of his family - least of all Alan, the reason they were in this predicament in the first place.

The cab trip had been decided upon once it was opted to leave Tess's Camero in the underground parking lot at Tracy Towers, seeing as it was very conspicuous, anyone who knew Tess would probably recognise the car, and even though she insisted that her father wouldn't bother to keep tabs on her, Jeff Tracy had thought that it would be one risk too far. Though maybe again it had been another ploy to keep Scott happy. Not that he was of course.

It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to drive the car either, it was yet another frustration of an overly stressful week that kept him counting to ten and trying very hard to bite his tongue before speaking. Someone who got under his skin so readily should not have such an amazing car, he should have in no way been jealous or bitter, yet again, he was. There was just something about Tess Zucco that he didn't feel comfortable with, and he wasn't even sure if the feeling was dislike, hate, annoyance, or plain old irritability.

On the quiet car ride through the rain he'd been trying to come to terms with it and after a good ten minutes he'd allowed a small smile to tug at his lips. No car in the world would ever stand close to a Thunderbird, and Thunderbird One? Thunderbird One would make Tess Zucco's Camero look like a bug on the windshield.

The thought had cheered him for a moment, but that didn't last for long. He was fine with John flying his 'bird but Gordon had also been sent back to the island, and if he choose one brother to never be allowed to fly Thunderbird One? Gordon.

There'd been a spate of incidents, small "one offs" as Gordon liked to call them - such as spilling coke all over the dashboard (which was luckily proofed for such occasions), blocking the system of the onboard toilet (still an unexplained Gordon mystery). And then there were the larger incidents, like forgetting to engage the landing gear when arriving back at on the island after a mission.

_"It's not like I meant to." Gordon had huffed, sat by the pool with Scott's shadow blocking out the sun. "It's different to the other 'birds, if you ask me it's far to complicated, maybe we should get brains to update.."_

"No one else has a problem with it." He'd growled the words, irritated beyond belief that Gordon was just laying there like nothing had happened.

He'd been on a supply trip to the mainland, a quick job in Tracy One but International Rescue had been called to a forest fire in Indonesia whilst he'd been away. You couldn't work around calls as they always seemed to come at the most inappropriate of times.

"It's not even that damaged." Gordon had practically whined. His voice begging Scott to let it be and leave him alone.

"The whole paintwork is scratched!"

"Repaint it then. Easy." His younger brother had shrugged, eyeing Alan who was sat across the pool on another sunlounger. Obviously trying to stay clear of the argument. "Alan keeps asking for work experience, get him to help."

"I heard that." Came the voice of an irked younger blonde brother. "No way in hell I'm repainting that, I seen it, it'll take forever."

"Exactly!" Moaned Scott.

It had happened twice in a month, which Gordon was still claiming to be a result of Scott's "nagging". Though surely that should have reminded him, but oh no, not Gordon.

Scott sighed and watched houses flash by as they drove to the outskirts of the city, it had been a long day and he was tired, stressed, and dying for a coffee. The sooner they got back to Tracy Towers the better, and the sooner he could confirm to John than Gordon wouldn't be the pilot of Thunderbird One. Not if he had it his way, anyway. He'd rather Brains fly his baby, and Brains had next to no flight time.

That was another thing about allowing Tess to stay with them, they couldn't discuss International Rescue openly like they usually did when it was just family, it was yet another weight added to weigh them down and possibly, if help were needed - slow them up in stopping Zucco. Now it felt like he had to tread on eggshells around her, biting his tongue again and again to stop himself for revealing cryptic clues in snapped, unthought-of remarks.

It took longer than Scott had expected to get to Tess's apartment, they had asked the cab driver to wait whilst they picked up what she needed but he'd grumbled about not being booked and having to earn a living, so grudgingly Scott had let him go his way, making clear to the man that he would have paid for his time. Sometimes having a famous face helped, sometimes expecting people to know who you were didn't.

They ran through the rain and up the steps to the door to try and avoid the downpour that was starting to set in, once the door closed and they were inside the awkwardness seemed to step up a notch.

They looked at each other for a moment before Tess seemed to realise that they needed to get moving, she'd gone rather quiet since the incident Scott had walked in on between herself and Virgil, and after multiple attempts at an apology had given up and resorted to a shared silence. She smiled awkwardly and went to open her apartment door, the click of the lock resounding in the quiet emptiness of the hall, the light flickering nervously.

Following her inside Scott was, like Alan had been, taken aback by what he could only describe as chaos. It was organised in it's own way, yet for someone as compulsive as Scott, unliveable.

Tess was scooting about, grabbing a suitcase off the coffee table in front of the couch and emptying it, picking through what she wanted and hastily folding clothes and repacking.

"How much should I bring?" She asked after a minute, holding a pair of shoes in each hand she seemed to be debating the neediness of the two. "This is just for a few days, right?"

"I've no idea." Scott walked round and let himself collapse onto the couch, his energy draining by the second and allowing his previous anger to dissolve into a lazy acceptance of the situation, maybe it was a good thing that he hadn't been allowed to drive, he'd be sleeping at the wheel. "I suppose it'll just be till we meet your dad." He closed his eyes, half away of the couch that in it's state seemed to be trying to consume him.

"Hope so." Tess muttered, turning away and throwing both pairs of shoes into the case.

It took a moment for her words to sink in, he'd been thinking the exact same thing but was surprised and somewhat irritated to hear them from her.

"What do you mean?" He opened his eyes, pulling himself upright and eyeing her questionably.

She paused, almost surprised at herself for saying it out loud, glancing back at him as she folded what she'd decided to take. Neatly packing in a manner so unfitting of her apartment.

"I know you don't want me there and to be honest, I don't feel all that comfortable being surrounded by people who don't trust me." He went to reply but she quickly cut him off. "I don't blame you for that, I'd be the same if our situations were reverse… or rather, if you were me and I were you." She sighed loudly. "Plus my dad's always been a bit crazy with the things he does, but this is a whole new level for him, I want to sort it out before something really bad happens."

"Something bad?" Scott stared blankly at her. "You mean like Alan being kidnapped? Or some botched attempt where he ends up in hospital?" Sarcasm rolled all too easily off his tongue.

She sighed once more, abandoning the suitcase for a moment as she turned fully to reply, eyes scrutinising him. He half expected her to start spewing Italian at him, mindfully noting to himself that he really needed to cut back on daytime TV, or at least the stories John insisted on watching. One of the pitfalls of him coming back down from Five - catching up on TV.

"Sorry." She chewed her lip, still looking at him as though trying to figure him out. "When I say bad, I usually mean dead. You know who he hangs out with, right?" She turned and zipped the case up slowly, pushing it down and jamming a loose shoe back in. "You know who he works with?"

Scott knew the ins and outs of business and also knew that a hell of a lot operated on dodgy dealings, just because they weren't always publicised didn't mean that they weren't happening. Jeff Tracy had good morals which he passed down into Tracy Enterprises and his sons, but that didn't mean that the people working for him never tried it on, it didn't mean that they'd never had to charge someone with embezzlement before.

"That's a bit melodramatic, isn't it?" He muttered, crossing his arms and watching as she pulled the case to the floor and sat on it, still fiddling with the zip. He took the opportunity to lounge his feet up on the empty coffee table.

She finally got the case closed a let out a long breath of success at a job well done, smiling weakly she stood and dusted off her knees. Crossing the room she took a photo frame from the top of the mantelpiece and brought it over, perching on the couch next to Scott and nodding down at the people who filled the picture.

He looked down at it, half interested in whatever she was going to come up with. The other half beyond caring and wondering how long it would take a second cab to arrive to take them back.

In the photograph he firstly recognised Tess, a lot younger - only a child, but with the same recognisable dark eyes and hair, and the same smile. He also saw her father on the far left hand side, smiling rather moodily, like he had better things to do. Looking just as cocky as all the publication photos and how Scott remembered the guy from meetings in the past and family picnics. Of course back then the smiles had seemed more genuine.

There was a man next to Tony Zucco, tall and olive skinned, a crisp grey suit and a broad smile.

"Antony Malec." Tess pointed him out. "Used to work with my dad, went missing a few years ago and no ones seen him since. Had an altercation with one of his work colleagues."

"Maybe he just had enough?" One thing Scott couldn't stand was exaggeration, people just seemed to blow everything out of proportion these days, and the more he met of women the more he seems to agree with his own opinion in that, not that he'd say that out loud of course.

"Maybe." She rolled her eyes at his reasoning but instead of challenging the story moved along the photograph and pointed out another man, shorter this time with grey stubble and a shaved head, he was looking at something behind the camera, half a frown playing across his features. "Paul Scott. My dad's PA for a while, a good friend of his from back when he was at college. He died in a house fire not long after this photo was taken, the cops didn't have much to go on so no charges were ever made." She tapped the man with her finger.

"Could have been kids." Scott muttered. "Or a case of mistaken identity."

"Hmm." Again she didn't question the reasoning Scott had given and instead moved along and pointed out a woman next to herself in the photo, a crop of curly hair tied high up on her head, A large woman with red cheeks and a second chin, smiling broadly with her arm looped over Tess's shoulders.

"This was my house keeper when I grew up, she was with me up till last year. I never knew my mother but she was as close to that as I can imagine." Tess looked down at the photo glassy eyed, something Scott didn't miss. "She was shot in a drive by shooting at one of my dad's houses. I'd probably still be in Italy if it wasn't for her death."

He frowned but the comment came quickly. "Maybe whoever was shooting was aiming at your father." Scott knew it was a low hit but he couldn't hide his irritation for the man, after all he'd targeted Alan. No one threatened any member of his family, but when it came to Alan Scott felt practically parental. For the first time he felt something akin to guilt for his choice of words.

"Maybe." Surprised at how blasé she was about this he looked down at the woman in the photograph, his mind was drawn to the photo in his father's office of the skiing trip their mother had later died in. At first the photo had been left on the cameras memory card and hastily forgotten, but as time had gone by and they'd begun to cherish every memory they could, their father had come to realise the photo's importance.

Tess cut through his thoughts, pulling the frame away and looking down at it for a moment. "It was a good shot though, right between the eyes."

She stood, replacing the photo where it had been and picking up her bag, she seemed to shake off the conversation and smiled as she shook her keys.

"Ready to call another cab, Sparky?" 

* * *

__

Virgil Tracy was finding it hard to concentrate on his check up of Alan, firstly the interruption with Tess, then with Scott, and then again when his father had explained what would be happening. He'd bid a hasty farewell to Gordon and John and passed on the hopes of a fast resolution, glad to be staying but also full of that sense he always seemed to carry whenever his brothers spilt up - worry and profound paranoia.

Alan was sat on one of the chairs in the bedroom they were in whilst Virgil felt along his back, checking the bruising and making sure no further damage had been done whilst the kid had been busy across town giving the Tracy's premature grey hairs.

Part of him just wanted to go back to the hospital and have them do the checks they should have been able to in the first place, it would take a load off his mind. But everyone's worry had stepped up a notch, especially now Tess Zucco was joining them.

He wondered how much information she'd actually be able to give, what could she know about Taio Zucco that their dad and his infinite research didn't?

Since Scott and Tess had left, Jeff had been on the computer and phone trying to string together whatever he could about Zucco's recent activities and movements. Of course if Taio had wanted that information to be known it would have been, so the hunt was proving difficult.

Virgil didn't like the idea of just turning up and confronting the guy, he would have preferred to call the cops and let them deal with it, or go back home and deal with things from there. Alan wasn't going to die from the result of a few bashed ribs and a broken ankle, they had everything they needed on the island - even if avoiding the second opinion of the hospital was unwanted. Especially on that head wound…

He couldn't help but feel so damn guilty about the whole thing. If he'd been keeping an eye on the kid in the first place this wouldn't, no, shouldn't have happened. If he'd been able to stand up the guy who had tried to nab the kid, if he'd decided to deal with his injuries himself instead of becoming paranoid about his assessment. Everything that had gone wrong seemed to point back at himself and the weight was starting to weigh him down.

Another helping of guilt was added by the fact that he had actually felt attracted to Tess, he'd dropped his guard and been thoroughly told off by a disgruntled Scott for being childish and immature, which of course he had been. Scott's number one rule? Don't fraternise with the enemy.

In Scott's big book of life the enemy more often than not seemed to be women, it was somewhat concerning but also could be highly amusing in awkward rescue situations. If a lone woman needed rescuing it was always amusing to send Scott down, he might have been the eldest yet his experience with women was next to none, and his attitude towards them verged on that of a kindergarten kid.

Shaking himself out of the thought with a sad smile, Virgil pulled back and ruffled a hand through Alan's hair.

"We're done." He smiled. "Though by the looks of things you could probably do with some sleep kiddo."

Alan stood and stretched, a loud yawn echoing how Virgil and no doubt his father and Scott felt. "I don't get it." Turning he let himself lean on the bed, foot aching from a long day. "Are we off back to the hospital or not?"

"I guess we'll have to see how things go, I'd like to get you checked out but first priority if keeping you on team Tracy." He punched his younger brother playfully on the arm, going over and letting himself lay back on the bed, legs hanging lazily over. "I don't know if I'd rather see you go home with John and Gordon, it would have been safer."

"Hmm." He was surprised to see Alan nodding. "But you wanted me to get checked out before?"

"Maybe that wasn't the best decision."

"Well." Alan turned and looked down at his older brother. "If you thought it was the right decision then, then it still is now."

Virgil frowned, unsure where this was going. "Where's the change of heart come from kiddo? I thought you had better things to do than to have your annual MOT." He'd be amazed if Alan ever went a year in his life without a hospital visit.

"Very funny." He smiled that familiar Alan smile that quelled Virgil's thoughts. "Even if I get checked out and everything you thought was right then at least you know you've done right. Right?" He waggled his eyebrows with a smirk.

"Well yeah, but…"

"And if I go home and suddenly collapse and die because a rib punctured my lung…"

"Bit melodramatic there Alan."

"…then I can come back as a ghost and haunt you for being dumb and not going with your first instinct." He grinned. "Right?"

Whilst Alan could drive the whole family mad with his constant spur of the moment antics and daredevil attitude to life, there were times where all Virgil wanted from Alan was to be just that. Alan.

He smiled, reflecting the look on his youngest brother's face as he relaxed and nodded.

"Right."

"So all is right in the world. Right?"

"Well not really…"

"Right?"

* * *

**Alan logic. Can't beat it. **

**I have a sneaky feeling that Miss Tess Zucco may not be with us for much longer, good or a bad?  
R&R**


	9. Take Two

Soft Jazz drifted through the otherwise quiet club, a gentle hue of cigarette smoke despite the recent ban - some clients were just not asked to comply. Taio Zucco was not one of those people. He was the man who went by his own rules and in this club - his club, rules were subject to importance.

He sat at one of the round tables in the centre of the large room, papers spread in front of the man besides him as he sifted through and made quick notes and revisions. Taio wasn't overly interested in the work at hand, it had been a quiet week and his mind had begun playing back to Jefferson Tracy.

Taio had always considered himself fair to friends, acquaintances and colleagues, and probably family if he ever directed his mind that way. He felt that he understood the world and how it worked, and if it did not work - how it should. He could see the path in which his life would take and he made sure that the world around him bent to meet those requirements. This had never been an issue before now.

For argument's sake he had looked into the project he had proposed to work with along side Tracy Industries, he'd looked into different ways of making it work and whether there were other ways which would mean their procedure forward. Not because he considered Jeff Tracy a lost cause, no, but because he wanted to prove to Jeff that it was the only choice he had and if it was not made, serious business would be lost and the largest project of his life would be over before it had even begun.

Unfortunately he had found not just one, but two other companies willing to work with Zucco to develop his plans into a much needed reality. Surprisingly, this had not been welcomed news. He did not like to be proved wrong and he disliked people having more control over situations than himself. Since his wife had died he had made certain to rectify that aspect in his life.

His other projects were running as they should be, development and research into new ventures proceeded without issue. He could easily turn his mind to some of the other proposed ventures his team had come up with, they had been waiting for him to make decisions ever since he'd found the two companies he could work with and finally get the ball rolling. But he found himself unable to back down, unable to let Jeff walk away. Especially when Zucco had gone to the effort of messing with his old friend's youngest son - there was too much to gain, even if it was all psychological. He wanted Jeff Tracy to feel something other than the smug arrogance he'd worn upon making the first and second refusal.

Jeff was so damn happy about everything, so proud of his sons, so settled in his life and now seemingly in the loss of his wife, Lucille. At first Jeff and Taio had been like kindred spirits, sharing in their grief and loss, burying themselves into their businesses and leaning upon one another for support. But things had changed and Taio felt betrayed, he had lost a brother in arms.

After Jeff had stopped working along side him in business things had slowly taken a downhill turn, no one wanted to work with his company anymore, trust was being lost by his dealings and the reputation with the people he surrounded himself with. He could see this yet he couldn't stop the fall, these people did what he asked without question and didn't doubt his judgement as many others had done. They took the money and did as asked, something once again Jeff would not do.

He still felt the grief of the loss of his wife so strongly, it wasn't something he could walk away from as easily as Jeff. It almost seemed a duty to remind Jeff of that, and what better a way than to take one of his precious sons away from him. Not just any of Jeff Tracy's sons, the youngest. The strongest and closest reminder to the lost wife and the surest way to evoke an emotional response from such an unbreakable man.

Payback was petty and cruel, yet Taio could not think of a better way of making Jeff feel the pain he felt every single day. At first this had been a game, a way of scaring Jeff and showing him the power he had over the city. Getting a man inside Tracy Enterprises had been easy, he had men everywhere and pretty much anyone could be bought for the right amount, or for the right leverage for that matter.

He smiled to himself, allowing his plans to fall into place and watching the world around follow suit. Everything in this world was a matter of leverage and to Taio Zucco, nothing was unattainable.

He glanced across the table to the man before him, one of many accountants trying to keep up with his dealings and making clean any of his the less flavoursome dealings the tax office, to name but one, wouldn't have approved of. Like most accountants Zucco had met the man was middle aged, greying slightly with a slightly flushed face. He kept correcting his glasses that perpetually slid down his nose, helped along their way by the beaded sweat on the man's brow. Fear was a somewhat pleasing effect to have on a person, it screamed respect and in many men - admiration.

Sipping his martini, Taio Zucco smiled to himself, an internal game of chess slowly moving forward the castle in his mind. If it was a siege Jeff Tracy wanted, by all means let him have it. The trick with the game was to always stay one step ahead of the opposition.

* * *

John and Gordon had arrived back on Tracy Island and had immediately turned International Rescue off standby. Though it wasn't as though a call would come through immediately or even regularly, sometimes months would pass without their help being required. The Thunderbirds helped deal with disasters and as much as people liked to romanticize over their occurrence, they were few and far between. But having the island on standby seemed a prime opportunity for a disaster to occur, having systems up and running took the constant fear of being unavailable away.

But they were still three men down and although Alan was too young to man any of the birds or perform duties on missions, he was learning the command and control centre controls through Jeff.

It hadn't been discussed before but John was increasingly concerned over how they would control everything if indeed a call did come, a three man crew was limited and could be near impossible in some cases. They needed a man on command and control - this would be Brains, that would mean they'd be down to two men on only one Thunderbird. A pilot, and a rescuer/medic/fire fighter/whatever else could be required in whatever eventuality arose. It was a terrifying thought. Even with autopilot two men would be difficult and may not even be of sufficient help in a rescue.

Brains had already informed the American military that they may be required to fill in for them for US based emergencies and if possible any lands or waters they could gain permission to enter. Easier said than done of course, but a helpline none the less.

Lady Penelope had contacts in the United Kingdom that were ready is needed, thankfully they'd received few calls from the UK as the islands weren't on any fault lines which meant no volcanoes or earthquakes - a higher ranking call out purpose. There were no hurricanes, no twisters, and any floods were more often than not managed by their own emergency services.

Two parts of the world covered, only the rest to cope with. It wasn't the sigh of relief they'd hoped for but it was a start if needs be. They could only hope that the next call that came in would be after the situation with Taio Zucco was dealt with, or it would be an easy call out as Gordon jested - a cat up a tree would be manageable, so long as the tree wasn't sinking through lava or being washed down a river towards impending doom.

Maybe they could deal with dropping water over forest fires in some remote region - low occupancy rates, no wind, a recent rainfall resulting in slow fire movement. One could dream.

Whatever angle they looked at it, they needed the situation with Zucco to resolve itself yesterday and for International Rescue to be up and running at full capacity if needed. Lives were being put at risk because one man wanted to make a point.

* * *

Virgil had been worrying about Alan, as usual the kid didn't let up if anything actually was bothering him but he still felt that he may have missed something in his check ups. He wanted that second opinion as much as he wanted to go back to the island and have the whole fiasco behind them.

If Alan was cleared he could be sent home and everyone would feel better . Having the kid on the mainland was proving difficult, especially with Scott and his constant checks and itinerary. If they needed food, Scott would plan the whole process of getting it, even if it was takeout. If they needed to make a phone call, Scott would check the numbers. If Jeff wanted to meet someone, Scott would be questioning the reasoning and requirements. It was not helping Virgil argue his case of heading back to the hospital.

"He can go when we've sorted Zucco out."

"He can go now and then we can send him back to the island. I want to check those ribs and make sure his ankle is setting, and of course there's the bump on his head… the concussion might be worse than my checks have shown."

Scott growled, lounging back on the couch and rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. "He's held up pretty well since we came over, I'm sure a few days won't do any harm."

They'd spent the last day sat around in the apartment growing increasingly bored and stressed with one another, Jeff had been with Tess most of the day going over likelihoods of what her father would do and how they thought the matter could be resolved, and Alan had been flicking through TV channels with the attention span of a small child. Nerves were definitely wearing thin.

Scott had rather liked his idea of going in guns glazing, he'd even fancied the idea of getting the cops involved but was still trying to find a way to prove that the whole incident with Alan had been caused by Zucco in the first place. The man was sneaky and far too good at covering his tracks.

"What's the deal? You're usually the first one to get a second opinion, I can't believe you're risking the sprout's health over this!" As annoying as Gordon could be he was often needed to defuse such situations, arguments with Scott never really got anywhere past glaring matches, yet Virgil wouldn't back down.

Once more Scott growled, eyes shooting daggers at his younger brunette brother. "If I didn't care about his health then why the hell would I be trying to stop Zucco getting his greasy hands on the kid? Seriously Virg, you need to think this through. A day trip to the hospital isn't going to help!"

"If he's cleared it will, he'll be back on the island in a couple of hours!"

"Can you two just shut up?" Alan had given up with the TV and had left it on a radio station playing out classic rock, he'd been sat on the arm of one of the couches but let himself slowly fall back to where Scott was sat opposite Virgil. He glared up at Scott, folding his arms and sticking out his bottom lip stubbornly. "Why don't you just get dad to decide? You know he will in the end anyway."

To Scott's annoyance Jeff had gone in favour of Virgil, backed up by Tess they'd decided that getting Alan off the mainland was the most important thing at that moment. It was a risk but in the long run it would surely be worth it. They'd take one of the blacked out cars from the parking lot beneath Tracy Towers and drive directly to the hospital where their own security would be waiting to take Alan through. There would be no point where Alan would be alone. Simple.

"I still don't see why Tess is coming." Scott grumbled, following the small group into the elevator that would go straight down to the underground car park. "This may be one massive set up."

"Give it a rest son." Jeff rolled his eyes, far too use to Scott's stubborn ways. "We're all here for the same reason."

"Plus this way I don't have to listen to you moan for the next few days." Alan muttered, smirking at Virgil who was already feeling relieved about the whole thing. "You know, I actually wanted to stay but I've definitely changed my mind." He smiled. "You could have kept Gordon or John here but no, you had to pick the little book of stress."

"This little book of stress has one cause." Scott frowned. Eyes narrowing at his youngest brother who was looking far too smug with himself. "Alan Tracy. The big book of trouble."

Tess smiled at the family banter, although she wouldn't voice it she was also concerned with what was going to happen with Taio, the possible scenarios she'd run through with Jeff were possible but seemed increasingly unlikely. Unless they could catch him out and prove his guilt, they had nothing to get the cops involved and nothing to hold him with.

Even if Alan was out of the country it didn't guarantee results, unless Taio was put behind bars then every time Alan came back he would be at risk. And if Alan remained grounded on the island indefinitely, it didn't mean any of the other Tracy boys wouldn't be targeted.

This couldn't possibly end well.

The elevator chimed softly as it came to a halt and the doors opened, the large concreted car park stood darkened before them, lit simply by long rows or lights, dull and mellow in a cold contrast to the rest of the building. Lines of employee cars mostly a mixture of black and dark greys. As with most multi-storey car parks the concrete road looped round and up a ramp at the far end for the entrance and exit.

"Can I at least drive?" Scott practically whined, stepping out of the elevator and heading up the small road that led to their own cars further up. He waved his hands in the air as he spoke. "You've got to give me some level of control here!"

Jeff rolled his eyes for the second time in as many minutes, tossing the keys over as he jogged to catch up with his son. "You three wait there whilst we bring it round, won't be a minute."

Alan, Tess and Virgil stopped in front of the elevator, Tess was looking around for her car, wanting to see that it was still intact and was in fact at Tracy Towers and not left abandoned at the side of a road. Scott had parked it for her which she wasn't feeling all that comfortable about.

"He hasn't done anything to it, has he?" Despite her attempt to keep the small quaver from her voice she failed and turned wide eyed to Virgil and Alan.

Alan laughed, the sound echoing in the darkness. "If he had he'd have let you know, plus dad would have killed him."

"Don't worry." Virgil squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "It's probably around the back, these cars up here belong to employees working today. Plus Scotty loves cars, he wouldn't admit it but I bet he enjoyed driving your Camaro, even if it was just to park. He only really gets to drive when he's on the mainland." He smiled at the look of relief that spread across Tess's face.

"I'm going to hold you both to that."

An engine sounded and as one they looked round to see a dark 4x4 coming slowly towards them. Not Jeff's usually choice but if Scott was driving, maybe he'd got his own way with the choice. Stepping out into the path of the car they waited for it to stop yet were taken by surprise as the engine revved and it sped up. Scott was obviously trying to make a point.

Alan had scooted back with Tess but Virgil stood his ground, holding his hands up and raising his voice so he could be heard above the engine, he smirked towards Tess and Alan before looking back towards the car. "Give it a rest, Scotty! No ones impressed!"

Alan laughed but stopped where there was a shout from behind, Virgil turned and quickly went white faced as he spotted the person in question waving madly as he ran back down from where they'd gone to pick up the car - Scott. Too far away to be able to do anything, but loud enough to make clear that the car driving towards Virgil wasn't Jeff nor Scott.

The car was moving fast and was nearly on top of him, he turned back wide eyed, hands raised in an almost slow motion as he found himself unable to move, heart seemingly to slow to a painful thump that resounded throughout his body with each beat. Time seemed to slow, or rather his brain seemed to take things in at an accelerated rate. Details jumped out. The blanked out registration, the engine sound a growl of anger, Alan shouting his name, Tess glaring at him wide eyed and panicked as an understanding crossed her suddenly pale face. Scott screaming words he couldn't take in, his dad was nowhere. Where was his dad?

He closed his eyes a moment before the impact, muscles tensing as he imagined the car ploughing into him. He expected to be hit straight on but instead he was struck side on, body arching through the air and impacting onto the hard cement floor with a thud, the air knocked from his lungs as a cold numbness swept over his body.

Slowly he opened his eyes to see the dusty ground before him, and blinked.

It took a moment to comprehend what had happened and what was happening there and then, there was the sound of a car door opening and a muffled cry from Alan followed by Scott who was suddenly closer but still shouting, swearing and running. Footsteps fell harshly, the car door slammed shut and the engine revved once more.

They were going to finish him off, he was sure of it. He forced his head up to watch his death coming fast towards him but blinked as the car instead drove straight past and towards the exit, straight through the barrier which bent and shook off it's hinges in one fluid motion. Scott in it's wake sprinting after the vehicle, shouting and waving to the security guards by the exit. Screaming for them to do something. Follow?

Virgil took a deep breath and forced himself to move, he expected to see red, the numbness hiding whatever injuries he had. But instead he saw a body on the ground before him, his own body strangely responsive. Shaken with shock but very much alive and working, his side felt bruised and he gasped to fill his lungs with air, the world around slowed.

A coldness washed over, like plunging into water it was sudden and left him gasping for breath as a painful awareness struck home. Firstly, Alan was gone. He swung his head around to find him but what had happened was now plainly clear; the car must have been waiting for them. The details were beyond him but he didn't have time to think, he hadn't been hit by the car at all, he'd been hit by Tess who had shoved him from it's path.

He should have been used to situations like this, he was a Thunderbird for God's sake! His heart shouldn't have been in his throat pounding out the sound of his shattering nerves. His eyes should have been able to easily turn to the body of the lifeless girl before him, the blood slowly pooling around her skull and the unnatural position she had been thrown into.

It took him far too long to respond to the situation, his father almost flying down the concrete road to meet him before going to her side, not knowing what to do or whether to touch her. Scott was shouting into his phone, the security men from the gate were running to join them.

The seconds which had seemed to pass in such detail through is mind were suddenly gone and nothing could be done to replace them. Alan was gone. 


	10. Taken

Long updates are surprisingly down to me working on this fic, there is so much I wish to correct in the past chapters but I am currently striving to make everything in the future ones as good as my ability will allow. This is why reviews are crucial and extremely useful, so thank you a thousand times to all those who have done so and I hope you will continue with me on this journey of Tracy love.

This chapter was a difficult one as it's leading up to what I'd consider the true heart of the fic, I'm not a big fan of OC's but Tess Zucco was a necessity, I hope her involvement in this chapter works.  
Please let me know :)

Thunderbirds are not mine, though I'd happily buy a brew for whoever came up with the Drench advert with Brain's dancing.  
Gx

* * *

Jeff immediately went into action - surveying the situation and heading where he saw himself most urgently needed. Seeing Scott withdrawing his cell from a pocket and dialling as he ran towards Virgil he himself headed straight for the still form of Tess - as much as he wanted to tear after Alan he knew that the most immediate danger was the loss of the life of the young woman who'd just thrown herself in front of a car to save one of his sons, and hoping for her to still be alive would be a useless relief unless he acted quickly.

Glancing over to Virgil Jeff knew that it would be no use trying to gage help from him at that moment in time, his third born was sitting wide eyed, staring away into nothingness. The effects of shock were clear, trained doctor or not he'd be no use to anyone like that. Even as Scott came up besides him he didn't even seem to acknowledge his elder brother's presence or the hand he gently lay on his shoulder. Although trained in the field to deal with massive trauma and shock victims, Jeff knew from the horrible experience of losing his wife that when it came to family and loved ones, such events shook people in different ways. Any hospital would tell you that they would never intentionally allow a surgeon to work on a loved one, their actions were irrational and flippant, their team were left confused and uncoordinated.

So leaving Virgil be with a silent reminder to have his son checked out thoroughly as soon as he was able, Jeff instead fell to his knees besides the young woman, his eyes quickly surveying the area around her body where blood had begun to pool, taking note of the position she'd landed in.

She was half curled on her left side, her left arm thrown behind her awkwardly whilst her right lay immobile before her. Her head was downcast, hair falling across her face like a rag doll, now matted and wet with the blood. She was bleeding from a blow to the front of her skull that may have been caused when she'd hit the ground, but from the glass fragments shimmering through her matted hair it was more likely caused when the car itself had hit her and she'd been driven over the bonnet and into the windshield itself.  
Jeff could hear Scott shouting down his cell to the emergency services, at least with the damage the car must have sustained it would be easier to find it - it was a guilty notion as he tried to arrange his thoughts, yet finding the positives in such dire situations often seemed the only way to push oneself forward.

The head injury seemed to be the most pressing issue, her left arm was most definitely broken and he'd have been surprised if other bones hadn't received sufficient trauma for more fractures. There was a lot of blood, or at least it would have seemed so to the untrained eye. But enough for her to have already bled out and died? No.

Years of first aid courses and training he'd run his sons through had the knowledge drilled into his mind that the average person had roughly twelve pints of the blood in their body. Of course that didn't mean that you could lose twelve pints and survive, but twelve pints spread across the fluorescently lit parking bay would have gone a lot further than the slowly expanding pool already there. He struck the comparison with the amount of times his sons had dropped a pint of milk round the breakfast table whilst growing up, small hands and large cartons were never a good combination, and one pint of milk sure seemed a lot when you had to clean it off the floor and a dripping table.

Up to forty percent of blood was what most medics agreed to be the limit of what a person could bleed out and survive without needing resuscitation, of course there were always exceptions but when it came to saving a life, sticking to the knowledge of the percentage that survived would always be more useful and positive than trying to hope for that one in a million.

Trusting that Scott would have called an ambulance as well as the cops Jeff leant over Tess's body, careful not to move her in fear of further damage. He carefully moved the hair from her face and placed two fingers to her neck, he was unsurprised to feel her heartbeat hammering against his touch. In some cases of rescues turned tragedy the victim had died in an instant, be it through impact, heart attack caused by massive trauma, crushing, or a hundred other horrible situations. But more common than not when they had lost someone it had been whilst trying to get them to a hospital or stabilize them. The human body was incredibly tough and resilient to trauma and would do everything in it's power to keep the soul attached and living. Tess Zucco was young and healthy, her chances of survival from the hit alone were reasonably high. The only issue was how long that survival would be.

The rapid heartbeat he now felt was proof of this, it indicated a possible primary haemorrhage and from what he could tell through her pale complexion and coolness to her skin a class two, maybe verging on class three haemorrhage - or in layman's terms, anything between thirty and forty percent blood loss, it could have been less but given that he knew little of what was going on internally, he had to work with what he was being shown.

Her heart was beating quickly to pump the thinning blood through the body and keep up with her bodies needs, though it also meant that the rate her blood was being lost would be increasing which also increased the amount of oxygen getting to her brain, which in turn could create brain damage.

He hadn't seen the entire incident but from what he could ascertain the car had struck Tess straight on and she had rolled whilst on the bonnet, the hit had not been direct to her spine, this is where the damage of being thrown from the vehicle had come into effect and could have possibly caused even more problems for her body to cope with.

He carefully lifted one of her eyelids to gage the reaction of the pupil, motor and sensory functions could have become absent which would have indicated a complete injury, less than five percent of people diagnosed with such damage ever recovered locomotion. In many cases death would have seemed kinder.

With somewhat of a relief her pupils reacted to the light and focused, it showed that her brain was still processing stimuli and reactions around the body. A good sign, though coupled with the head injury the usual signs of spinal damage were somewhat hidden. Her heart rate was already up due to the haemorrhaging yet it could have been a sign of spinal injury, also the cold sweat from the haemorrhage could have hidden the hot sweat that Jeff would have usually looked for in a spinal damage. He was no doctor but the only obvious sign that she had escaped a major spinal injury were the reactions of the pupils of her eyes, he wasn't about to move her any time soon.

Frustratingly there wasn't much he could do without a full medical kit, the force of the impact may have caused internal injuries that linked with the haemorrhaging could lead to shock which in turn could lead to brain damage or even more likely, death.

It was a feeling that could never be gotten used to, having the life of another in your hands which could be lost at any given moment. The nature of the human body versus the knowledge of man.

His mind was swimming with possible injuries and what he could do about it, but he was second guessing himself and doubting injuries he'd first seen as apparent, perhaps hidden by other injuries or made more obvious coupled with another injury… there was nothing he could do.

Touching her face gently with a hand Jeff Tracy sent a silent prayer to anyone or anything that was listening, but the single thought going around his mind were the words he'd so often spoken.

__

_You can't save everyone._

Sometimes all you could do was be there for the person, after all, no one wanted to die alone.

* * *

It was a strange feeling, like the moment you reach the top of a flight of stairs and without realising continue, only to find your foot falling through the thin air. It was that feeling of leaning back too far in a chair, that fleeting second where you're certain you'll fall only to be righted once more. Your heart skipping a beat as it readies itself for what would happen next, confusion giving way to dawning realisation.

Those feelings lasted mere seconds though, they were panicked flashes in your life that were shortly forgotten. It may have seemed like life and death the millisecond before embarrassment, but in reality they were moments that simply served as a reminder of how delicate your life was and how quickly calm serene could turn to blind panic.

The moment of blind panic had been that instant where Alan had realised that his brother was in the path of the car, Virgil's eyes widening in confusion and then disbelief as his body tensed for the impact. Alan's blind panic had turned to relief, another instant feeling, when Tess pushed Virgil from the vehicles path only to take it's place. That's when the cold gut wrenching sensation of falling had settled in the pit of his stomach, and so far remain.

It had felt like time had stopped, or perhaps slowed to an impossible rate where he couldn't move, couldn't prevent the slow arch her body made as she was first driven forwards by the car, over the bonnet and into the windscreen with a sickening thud and a crack. Then as the car screeched to a halt, her body rose another half foot up the windscreen before it flew in a hopeless arch through the air until finally crumpling down onto the concrete ground with a sound so soft it seemed impossible to become injured in. Yet the position she was left was sickening, bile still threatened his gag reflex even now as he was being driven away.

Alan had instinctively made to run towards her, to see her eyes smiling up at him as she pulled herself out of the position, shook him off and stood, brushing herself down and laughing off the situation in a way that was all too impossible. Yet he'd needed to see, needed to touch her skin and to work out why there was so much blood suddenly pooling around her still body. Find out why she hadn't moved from that awkward position on the cold concrete ground.

He couldn't though, he had made only a step towards her before someone much larger than himself had jumped from the car and pulled a bag over his head, strong arms looping around his own and pulling him into the vehicle with a speed faster than his mind was able to process. He wanted to yell but a muffled shout came out which was barely a holler for help, in that moment he couldn't find his voice and couldn't shift himself into action.

It took what seemed like forever to take a breath, to fill his empty lungs and keep his heavy heart beating as the resounding thud echoed in his ears and chest. In a strange way he was glad of the darkness, relieved to not have to see her body, yet he needed to be there, he wanted so badly to help, to save her.

Arms encircled his chest and pulled his elbows into his ribs in such a painful motion that it became stifling, serving only as a reminder to the fact that it wasn't a nightmare he could wake himself up from. The pain was too real, the sound of the rain outside and the coolness of the crisp evening air of the summer. You didn't dream that.

Tess had been killed because he was too weak to defend himself. Too weak to become a Thunderbird and too pathetic to fight back. The hood over his head now served to screen the image he couldn't shake from his mind, watching her wide eyed panic as she pushed Virgil away - saved his brother. The look in her eyes as she took the full force of the car and finally as she crumpled down to the ground unmoving.

Red was a distinct colour, a warning, an alert, a trigger, a bull's-eye. It stood out in the haze of a black and white memory, blood pooling onto the ground all too quickly, too sharp and too precise against the grey of the concrete. Blood that could have so easily been Virgil's imprinted itself into Alan's vision.

His breathing quickened as he realised how far Zucco had been willing to go to get what he wanted, if Zucco was willing to kill his own daughter then what qualm would he have killing Jeff Tracy's youngest child? What issue would he have in killing each and every one of his brothers just to prove a point?

His head swam from his own backtrack of events and he tried to focus on what was happening around him, tried to find a grip on the reality and whatever predicament he was in. He'd been pulled into the car and across the backseat, losing his crutches at some point. Someone held his middle, securing his arms to his sides whilst another restrained his legs - not that having their use would have served much purpose in such a confined space.

He could smell cigarette smoke, though it was such a sharp sweet smell that it could have been cigars. His father had smoked them for a few years after the death of their mother, it was only once he'd begun the workings towards the birth of International Rescue that he had stopped. Scott's words were a stark reminder to all of them which in turn stopped them from experimenting during their youth.

_"Why live life a hero only to die an addicts death?"_

Right now Scott would be panicking, probably pacing whilst trying to figure out what to do. Even though the situation seemed useless the thought that Scott would do anything to save the baby of the family helped Alan as he tried to find a balance in his emotions. A panic attack wouldn't help.

A local radio station played an all too cheery pop song through the speakers, mixed in with the hum of the engine it seemed oddly calm in the midst of the storm of events and that of the darkening skies outside. There had been a few minutes silence between whoever rode in the vehicle, their breathing the only sound besides the music. Alan could feel where the vehicle turned, stopped and started through which he could only presume to be lights and intersects of the busy town. Everyone around would be going about their lives without a clue of what was unfolding in the dark car driving by.

He jumped slightly as the man who'd grabbed him spoke near his ear. "It was meant to be a quick snatch." The man let out a long breath that he must have been holding, his fingers digging into the top of Alan's arms as he tensed for a moment, it sent a chill up the young blondes spine.

Again the air was left in an uncomfortable silence. Eventually someone let out a long breath, clicking their tongue before responding. "We got the kid. Job done."

They didn't sound convinced though. The voice was male and came from the driver's direction, he sounded like he was from the Queens area, words precise yet with a slight drawl that drew him apart from the other speaker who obviously didn't have English as his first language.

"What's Zucco gonna do to us when he finds out you's killed his own kid?" That was the guy holding Alan's feet, maybe he was the one smoking. Alan wasn't sure whether to be relieved that killing Tess hadn't been the plan, his own future was somewhat undetermined. There was a moments hesitation before the sound of the man letting out a long breath. "You drove straight into her, he's gonna see the blood on the car."

Alan gave an involuntary flinch, he'd seen the damage yet suddenly his mind was sending new images of the sheer amount of blood, he could see it in his mind on the dark car's bodywork, a glistening concoction of death. Hair matted in the cracked glass, smeared tracks where her body had rolled across, trails where it had run down the paint work. And although he tried he couldn't help the thought that constantly accompanied the images.

_It could have been Virgil.  
_  
"She jumped out, nothing I could do about that." The driver sneered, his voice raised slightly in annoyance. "Just tell him Tracy pushed her, he don't need to know details. We got Tracy's kid and that's what he wanted".

"He's gonna find out." The guy holding his arms spoke again, though the words weren't directed at anyone in particular, they hung in the air with a threatening overhang.

"It's Tracy's story against ours, whose he gonna believe, huh? We nab his kid then his daughter snuffs it, sounds a bit suspicious if you ask me." The driver sounded agitated, not happy with the men besides him for questioning his motives. Alan knew that right now that was the guy to be wary of, nervous men with power made other men nervous and a nervous man never did the job right. Though maybe that still left him with an opportunity to get away… not that it would be easy given his busted ankle and ribs. He just knew that he didn't want to be anywhere near Zucco when he found out about Tess's fate, what scared him most was the fact that he didn't know how the man would react. Maybe he wouldn't care, would that be worse?

"Tracy wouldn't kill anyone, least alone Taio's daughter. He's a family man."

"Why the hell not? Someone nabbed my kid and I'd kill them and their whole family for good measure, plus all their friends and work colleagues for being connected to them." Alan didn't doubt that, he had to bite his tongue to stop himself voicing his displeasure at the man, he knew it wouldn't do him any good.

"Yeah but you ain't Jeff Tracy. I just don't see him doing something like that." The window by Alan's feet opened momentarily, he could feel the cool air blow in before it shut. The smell of tobacco disappearing into the evening air.

"It don't matter what you think, it's what Zucco believes that matters. I reckon he'll believe it."

What if Zucco thought Jeff had killed his daughter? Would he believe it? Probably. From what Alan had heard of the man he was well and truly wacko. But if these guy's story flew then where did that leave him? An eye for an eye? He struck Alan as more of a mailing back a piece at a time kind of guy.

"Hmm, don't feel right lying to him. What if he finds out? We'd be dead men walking over something like that!"

"We'd be dead men walking if we told him the truth, if you think I'm going down on my own then you've got another thing coming. We was all there, we acted together to nab the kid, so we go down together."

"That ain't right, you were driving! You should have slowed down." Cigar man leant forward squashing Alan's legs with his weight, he hissed as the throbbing in his ankle turned to a stabbing pain. For the rustle of fabric Alan presumed the guy was pointing or leaning against the front headrest.

"Damn girl should have moved." The driver growled, his fist hit the steering wheel with a soft thud.

"Hell, the girl shouldn't have been there! This was meant to be a quick job."

"Yeah well, we don't have to worry bout it anymore. We've done the job, end of story."

There was silence again, the sound of the disc jockey on the radio wafted through the car in an unshared serene.

Alan's head was spinning, he knew that being scared wouldn't help but he couldn't stop his heart hammering against his chest or the tears welling in his eyes. He wanted his dad, he wanted Scott and his other brothers, and for not the first time in his life he wanted his mom.

* * *

The phone on Tracy Island had been ringing for a while, it's shrill tone cutting through the house and out of the open patio doors, and finally down to the pool where John and Gordon had been dozing in the sun. The island was a few hours behind the mainland and the sun had only just begun it's slow decent making the sky a breathtaking hue of oranges and reds.

Gordon grunted as he rolled off the warm sun lounger onto his feet, a hand running through his hair as he ruffled the damp locks, still drying from an earlier dip in the pool. He huffed loudly as he passed John a few loungers along, with the blonde's sunglasses on Gordon couldn't ascertain whether his older brother was sleeping or just enjoying the rare calm of the island, either way the battle of who could ignore the phone the longest had been a victory to John.

Gordon rolled his eyes at the sight of the tanning cream next to the sunlounger, constantly amused by John's craving for sun in the spots between being up on Five, it wasn't even like he'd improve his tan at this time of day but it obviously wasn't going to be a missed opportunity.

He rubbed his eyes half heartedly and jogged up the steps to the house, bare feet padding on the patio tiles. Checking his watch he wondered whether it would be his father checking in or Scott ringing to give them a list of chores and to make sure they weren't destroying the island. Though if the island was going to be destroyed it wouldn't be caused by pairing Gordon and John, that was for sure. If it were just Jeff on the island Gordon felt sure that the eldest Tracy son would still be checking, the guy had some kind weird control issues going on.

Yanking the wireless phone off the wall he sighed at his sixth sense, speak of the devil.

"Hey Scooter. What's up?"

The sound of Scott's voice alone was able to convey the panic and gravitude of the situation on the mainland, the calm sunny island suddenly becoming cold and grey, the hair on the back of Gordon's neck standing before what had happened to Alan had even been voiced. Scott might have been flighty and overbearing about certain things in their lives, he'd yell for hours about spilt coffee if you let him, but a truly scared Scott Tracy was something to be truly feared, and it was such a difference to the mother hen overprotective guise he usually wore.

Right now Scott Tracy was having trouble finding the words, he kept stopping mid sentence and backtracking over himself, mumbling ideas and thoughts, retracing his steps, questioning the situation, his head was spinning, his mind working overtime.

"Scott…." Gordon listened for a break in the ever flowing words, allowing himself to take a deep breath as he did so and moving over to the patio doors to glance down at an unsuspecting John who hadn't moved. It would be a short lived serene. "We'll refuel the jet, we can be there in a few hours. Calm down, tell dad we're on our way."

He was angry at himself for being swayed into coming back to the island on the first place, looking back it seemed a ridiculous notion. Alan was their baby and they his protector, they knew he was in danger yet allowed him to stay, they'd really let the kid down. All he could do was pray for him to be ok.

Scott was talking a mile a minute, instructions coated on words his mind quickly worked around. "What do you mean, no?" Gordon pinched the bridge of his nose and screwed his eyes up, trying to relieve the tension that was fast building. "It's Alan! Screw International Rescue, this is family!"

Scott was slowly regaining control of his nerves be they somewhat shattered, obviously trying to take control of the situation he best knew how. The face of Thunderbird's Operative One taking over, though his younger sibling didn't like the direction he was going in.

"What's dad say about that? Huh? You need us there… damn it, Alan needs us! All of us!"

He couldn't help his rising voice, he noticed John looking up at him questionably over the top of his sunglasses down by the pool, one eyebrow raised. He didn't look forward to explaining this one, turning away he began to pace, a hand through his hair now as he tried to stop his fists clenching.

"No… I just… we're his brother's, all of us Scott. I can't just sit here waiting for news, we should all be there. Anyway, what did dad say? What's he doing anyway?"

Gordon trusted Scott, be him annoying and overbearing at times his judgement was usually the right one. Though this was not a situation they had encountered before, his heart hung in his throat as he let out a long sigh.

"He's doing what?"

* * *

To die and part is a less evil; but to part and live, there, there is the torment. ~George Lansdowne

I am so sorry if the editing is at all confused in any part of this, I have literally spent the good part of an hour trying to get FF to post it like I wrote it but for some reason it keeps making puzzle pieces of the text and rearranging them. I've triple checked but you know how things are at midnight when you're getting stressed...  
Please review, let my editing skills not be in vain ;)


	11. Shock

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**A/N **  
**Warning of moderate language, if you are easily offended please do not read.**

**This has been another difficult one, I hope it works as I'd hoped and is not too much of a repetition for you. For the rest of the fic to fully make sense it needed to be here. Again slowness is down to rearranging and trying to get things right, when the fic is complete I will redo each chapter with corrections I've noticed and which have become clear through reviews. I've also switched my Microsoft Word language to American whilst writing so hopefully it'll pick up on the more subtle mistakes I fail to realise.**

**Part of the delay was down to a calorie filled Christmas that threatens a serious diet, followed far too shortly by a lazy New Years left much to the imagination. Also I had the joy of a house fire caused by my fabulous tumble dryer, the positive side of the fire was lots of firemen invading my house and offering hugs. (The optimist in me.)**

**I don't own the Thunderbirds, if I did it wouldn't be what it is. I remember watching it as a kid with my brother and sister, we'd get so smart arse whenever we could see the strings or we could tell what they'd used to make one of the props, yet now watching it back it's the small details like that and the Blue Peter set designs that make it so brilliant**.

**Enjoy.**

**Chapter 11  
****Shock**

The flashing lights of emergency vehicles lit the underground car park in an excitement and energy that Jeff was finding hard to become a part of, the red and blue lights mixing together only served to make his stomach tie in knots and sicken. Uniformed officers rushed around with notepads, torches, and suspicious glances. Field analysis agents were on scene; Forensics with tape measures and cameras, the criminalistics department of the downtown station had shown up after the first ambulance and few cops, clearing the area and cordoning it with police tape and spare officers. A guy from pathology had arrived though Jeff had made clear that he wasn't wanted nor needed at that point in time, the pre-emption of the man had really gotten under his skin. Maybe work had been slow recently.

Jeff so desperately wanted to speak with John and Gordon, he wanted them together for the strength he felt he'd need to insure Alan's safe return. But his head had to hold out on the matter rather than his heart, having the boys on the mainland meant that they would be hundreds of miles away from the machines that may in fact help find and return his youngest son to him. Though they couldn't admit their involvement with International Rescue or the operative's true identities, they could use the technology they had so readily accessible in their search. It was a long shot and only a glimpse of hope but until Jeff had time to think it was the best he had, he didn't want his boys coming over just to be sent back again or to be left feeling useless.

The cops were doing their jobs to the best of their ability and Jeff couldn't really fault them. They'd done everything by the book, they were suspicious where they should be and untrusting of the three Tracy's and security guards who were all there at the time of the abduction and hit and run, just as they should be in such a situation. But by doing everything by the book they were also painfully slow and restricted in so many ways by the red tape of democracy and law. The rights that had been put in place by the American people to protect themselves had inadvertently ended up protecting the criminals, the rights stood for equality and freedom of all American citizens which meant that Taio Zucco could not be arrested on the prefix of Jeff Tracy's word alone. You needed bona fide proof for a fair trial and right now Jeff had none.

None of them had seen Taio take Alan, none of them could prove that the car was connected to Zucco in any way. There was no evidence of the threats Taio had made, or that fact that he'd caused Alan harm by trying to take him from Tracy Towers. The cops were having issues with the fact that the incident had gone unreported to begin with, Jeff Tracy was such a straight laced guy that they had issues seeing where he was coming from and didn't know whether to doubt his words or follow the leads and advice he was so urgently telling them.

Having money and being well known in such a large city was always going to be more of a hindrance than a savior, hence why he'd jacked in the city life and bought the island. He didn't want his boys growing up in a world where people only saw the possible connections they could gain and possibilities of lining their pockets.

Out of all the boys Alan was the most sheltered, he'd had four elder brothers watching his back and securing his well being for his entire life, and a father that saw a much loved wife so strongly every time he saw his youngest son. He'd associated blame onto himself for the wild child Alan had started to become, the dangerous antics that were sure to end him up in trouble with the cops, or even worse. He'd led such a sheltered life that he had begun to feel restricted and confined to the island.

Alan couldn't have done anything to prevent what had happened though, he couldn't have known that by staying on the mainland how much he had endangered himself or those around him. They'd all agreed for him to stay, even if Scott had been unhappy about it they were so used to Alan's fiery temper that the idea of just going along with the notion had, at the time, seen an easier option than packing him off home and dealing with the aftermath later.

Maybe if they hadn't lied to him about the attack in the first place, it was amnesia for God's sake! He was bound to remember at some point. Hindsight was a wonderful thing. Jeff sighed, pulling himself from his thoughts and the scene before him, he turned to find his boys.

Virgil was sat in the remaining ambulance, the other having taken off not long before, siren screaming out into the night like a banshee. His middle son looked so tired and suddenly so young, with his medical training and the list of qualifications he'd racked up it was easy to forget how young the kid actually was.

He was sat wide eyed, staring blankly at the ambulance's wall as a medic shone a light in his eyes and placed an oxygen mask onto his face before giving him a reassuring pat on the knee and gently smiling. She was really trying to get some kind of response that Virgil seemed reluctant to give, he shrugged and shook his head at something she said before turning to see his father as he came over. There was no smile of acknowledgement, no greeting, he just looked at Jeff with an expression that almost broke his heart.

Being a Thunderbird meant saving lives but it meant seeing others lose their own in the process, no matter how good you were you just couldn't save them all. The guy who started the forest fire, the woman who ran into the bank with a loaded gun, the drunk driver driving past a school as the bell rang - these more often than not weren't the people who lost their lives. There were mother's like Virgil's own, there were children screaming for help that never came, innocent bystanders brought into the fray by fate. Being a Thunderbird was a responsibility above most peoples comprehension, no matter how much they romanticized their roles or turned them into heroes, they were, after all, only human.

The first few missions with casualties and deaths were the hardest, being taken from behind the text books and guidance of elder brothers and guidance of a father to being the person who made the decisions, the operative who had to weigh up the greater good and the life of one versus the lives of many. Jeff Tracy's boys understood the responsibility though, maybe with the exception of Alan who wasn't yet an operative, they knew what they were getting into and they knew that they had to detach their own lives from that.

Being a Thunderbird had to be a job, you could sit around the dinner table discussing rescues but you never brought back the lives lost in detail, those life or death decisions made in the moments where the whole world seemed like a blind panic and you were the only one there to bring calm, reassurance and most importantly, rescue.

You had to learn to detach yourself, not see the victim as someone's father, brother or son, but as numbers ready to be accounted for as safe. That was where the line was drawn between being a Thunderbird and being a Tracy, and the more Jeff thought about it, that was why Virgil was reacting in such a way now and not during the endless rescues they'd performed.

When they'd lost Lucille Tracy the boys had all been young, Scott had been the eldest and although it had left a hole in every one of their hearts, it had perhaps been easier for them to cope with than if they'd been older. Apart from their mother they had never lost anyone they really cared about, living on the island had separated them away from a lot of the harsh realities of life.

Jeff had grown up poor though, he knew how hard things could get and having made it as an astronaut and now in the business world he knew how cruel the world could be, how vicious and how horribly destructive. Every time Jeff closed his eyes he could hear Alan crying out for help, but behind that he could see the lifeless form of Tess Zucco mixed with the bubbling young woman only a few minutes prior. It was a stark contrast but obviously one of which Virgil was now having problems processing.

Climbing up into the ambulance Jeff smiled at the paramedic who understood his intentions, she picked up a stack of forms on a pile of clipboards and headed out the back of the vehicle with a sad smile. Jeff sat himself next to his middle son, taking a moment to find the words before sighing and pulling Virgil into a hug. Somewhat awkward as Virgil didn't move.

"Alan will be ok." He tried to put belief behind the words though he knew how unbelievable they were. Worry etched his every action and thought, it took a great deal of strength to stop himself tearing across the city to try and find his baby. "He's made of tough stuff, he's a Tracy."

Virgil was slowly shaking his head, eyes closed for a moment before finally he looked up at his father, eyes straining to find some kind of understanding, he pulled the oxygen mask off letting it hang loosely around his neck. "Is she dead?"

The words were child like, so frail and quiet, unsure yet certain, confusion lacing his tone. It wasn't something Jeff wanted to talk about, he'd just finished washing her blood from his hands and he still had it on his knees from where he'd knelt besides her, and even more where he'd wiped it on his shirt in his hast when the flashing lights of emergency vehicles had made themselves known.

"I don't know son…" He kissed his son's dark hair, rubbing his arms in a circular motion for a moment as though cold. "The car didn't kill her outright."

Again Virgil took a minute to allow the words to fully sink in, he kept shaking his head and then shrugging, looking off into space before repeating the notion. He started to ask a question but twice stopped himself, words hanging in the air looking for some kind of foundation.

"That was me."

"Hmm?" Jeff frowned, not understanding him. Momentarily distracted by footsteps behind him, he turned as Scott came up to the ambulance doors, leaning an arm against them as he finished on his cell.

"What was you?" Scott had obviously caught the end of what Virgil had said, his own words more harsh than his father's yet that was Scott. He was probably the most caring of all Jeff's boys yet he had a way of cutting to the chase.

"Everything." For a moment Virgil seemed to awaken from whatever hazed daydream he was in, blinking owlishly before looking round at the two remaining Tracy's as though only just noticing their presence. "Alan shouldn't have been here, we should have sent him home. If Alan wasn't with us then…"

"We didn't know this would happen." Scott butted in, placing a hand on his younger sibling's shoulder and squeezing gently as he shared a worried expression with his father. "We can't change things, all we can do now is be strong for Alan and bring him home safe."

"Hmm."

Virgil knew he was in a sense of hysteria, it was a strange sensation, almost as though he was watching himself go about the motions yet was unable to pull himself from them. He knew he needed to snap out of it and act, to become the Thunderbird he'd been trained to be, a purpose he'd almost been born into. Yet all Virgil could do was circulate the same repetitive thoughts and events through his mind, desperately trying to find some kind of hold from which he could pull himself.

He only half heard his father and Scott, not quite understanding the meaning of what they were really saying. Everything around him seemed blurred and his heartbeat so loud in his ears and hammering heavily against his chest. He felt too warm, too confined in the body of the ambulance. There was such a distinct smell of medical supplies, petrol, and a whisper of smoke, they caught in his throat making the air feel thick and hard to breath through. More than anything he wanted to be alone and not there. The blood on is father's shirt seemed almost tangible.

Virgil's skin was clammy and as he wrung his hands they felt cold, disorienting against the heat he was sure would suffocate him with each shaky breath. He didn't want to talk, his tongue was dry and screamed for liquids which he knew he should take yet still couldn't move from his stupor. The oxygen mask had begun to help but the crispness of the calm state it tried to lull him into worried him, he almost felt obliged to feel the guilt coursing through his veins.

He felt guilty for Alan, the brother he should have protected, the brother he should have sent home. The Tracy stubbornness in him had taken over and made him make the rash decision to push the fact that he wanted the check ups from the hospital, second opinions on his medical diagnosis that he had since medical school never gotten wrong. Part of him had wanted to be in a hospital again in control and working with the other doctors, he wanted that reassuring pat on the back from knowing what he'd done was right. All his life he'd had that in the form of his family yet they couldn't help him with the medical side of things, they were first aid trained but that was no use in reading CT and MRI scans, or in aiding the recovery of a patient.

Part of him still felt so young yet what was being asked of him demanded an older mind set, a seriousness that he felt slipping aware into panic and confusion. He should have been on top of the situation, understanding exactly what was best and acting as expect - Calm, collected and in complete control. It was expected.

He couldn't even begin to process the fact that Tess had been hit by the car, left lying in the dim parking lot silently screaming out for his help. He just hadn't been able to move, everything had slowed down to a painful pace of shadowy awareness where he knew what he should be doing yet his mind kept lapsing and circling around the same thought again and again.

The car.

Alan.

The car.

It's going to hit me.

Shit!

It's going to hit me.

Shit.

I'm going to die.

He could see it coming towards him again and again, his limbs suddenly heavy and unresponsive as his mind processed the situation so quickly yet he couldn't move in time. Eyes widening in a pathetic response before he was pushed so harshly away.

Taking another breath of the heavy air he blinked away the thought and desperately tried to listen to what Scott was saying, shaking himself and trying to quell the thumping of his heart.

"The cops are doing their job but that doesn't mean we can't do ours, we are among the best trained people in the world for rescues. Just because the Thunderbirds haven't been called doesn't mean we can't do our job, they just don't need to know about it."

Scott was taking control of things as per usual, that mother hen instinct might have been the butt of many a joke but in times of crisis it was what often saw them through difficult missions. A smile had crept onto Scott's face, he was in no way happy about the situation but he was happy to be doing something about it, even if it was just planning to do something, getting the cogs moving and setting a motion against the brick wall they all felt to have hit.

"Are you with me?"

Virgil allowed his own soft smile to grace his lips, he needed some purchase on the situation and some guidance, they all did. He needed to get away from the parking lot and the swell of police officers hanging about, the flashing lights and hum of activity were giving him a headache. He needed his family. All of them.

"We'll bring Allie home."

Jeff smiled at his boys, so thankful for the support and love they gave every moment of their lives and although desperately worried for his youngest he felt a spark of hope and determination ignite that would never be dimmed. Not until Alan was back at home where he belonged. 

* * *

"Where is she then?"

Taio Zucco found himself pacing up and down the now darkened office in one of his office buildings in a smaller suburb outside of the city, a glass clutched in one hand and his other raised in the air trying to grasp hold of what Stella was telling him.

Stella Lester had been hired as soon as Tess had stepped back onto American soil, she was hired to keep an eye on the young woman but at the same time to remain inconspicuous. Taio liked to know what was happening in his life, he liked control and order and knowing where everything fit in. He had little time for his daughter yet always spared the time to know what she was doing and who she was with.

"I didn't exactly hang around." Stella breathed out a slow breath of smoke from the cigarette she'd taken a drag from, it hung in the air standing in contrast to the single lit lamp that gave the room a rather foreboding feel. "There were cops everywhere… it didn't look good though. You might want to have a word with the guys you had on the job." She sighed and gave a quick shrug, turning away to pick up her purse from a chair by the window she muttered. "Talk about screwing up."

"What do you mean it didn't look good?" He leant back against his desk and rubbed his eyes, it had been a stressful day. "Did the cops nab her?"

"No." Stella turned back to him, a slight smirk crossed her lips at the irony of his words. She looked back down at her purse whilst speaking, rustling around distractedly. "The paramedics were keeping them back whilst they did their stuff. Getting hit by a car and being thrown from it doesn't tend to leave someone in tip top condition." She gave a sad smile, looking up with her cell now in her hand, she checked the time on the screen before heading towards the door. "Sorry Zucco but I've really got to go, looks like I'm going to be out of work so need to call in some favors. We can talk about this later but it'll have to be on your time."

He stared at the woman for a long moment before shaking himself ."Sure." He gave a half hearted wave of the hand, nodding to Stella as she left.

He was left staring at the door as she closed it behind her, his recently poured celebratory whisky having not yet made it to his lips. He wasn't quite sure what had happened or where things had really gone wrong for Tess and right now his mind was in two places; self congratulations for the snatch of Alan Tracy or anger directed at the idiots who had messed it up it so many ways.

He tried to shake himself back to the present situation, to that of Jeff Tracy and the lesson he wished to teach to man that so easy wore at his nerves. Even though he could see Jeff so clearly in his mind it wasn't the panic stricken man left longing for a son that had been so easily taken from his grasp, it was the Jeff Tracy all those years ago sat in Central Park with Lucille Tracy and Zucco's own wife, who, at the time, was nursing a new born baby girl.

Taio could see the different sides to Jeff so clearly; the family man who was so fiercely loyal to his own, the business tycoon who managed to always get the deals through without having to bribe or lean on anyone, the astronaut whose face had shone through so many a newspaper and was now eternally etched into the hearts of his fellow Americans.

He wanted to hate the man so much, to cause him the hurt he felt he should still suffer, to remind him of his lost wife and how he'd never again get her back. Yet suddenly the darkness was all around him and for the first time in years, Taio Zucco felt so incredibly alone.

* * *

**Happy New Year gorgeous reviewers! **


	12. Chip On My Shoulder

This have taken so long, it's ridiculous. I've been on it most days but wanted it to be right for you, thank you so much for the reviews, so close to 100!  
I obviously don't own the Thunderbirds, though it amuses me to think of Scott's reaction if I did!  
Poem further on is by HanyouInny (DA), any questions please PM or review and I'll get back to you asap.

* * *

Gordon and John had been sat in the kitchen staring at the phone for the last few hours, the sun had long since disappeared beneath the horizon and the silence had stretched beyond comfortable. How could a silence be comfortable when the fate of a beloved brother hung in the balance? Now and again Gordon would sigh theatrically and roll his eyes, throwing his head back as he tried to hold it together, desperately trying to keep his emotions in check and not flip off the handle at John for just sitting there seemingly so calm. He wanted to do something, he wanted to be there helping, most of all he wanted to hear Alan's voice telling him everything would be ok.

Twice the phone had rang since Scott had delivered the sickening news, the first time being their father to explain what they were going to do and what he wanted Gordon and John to be doing, and the second with a rather morose Lady P to make sure they were both alright. She was already on the mainland with Parker, racing to Jeff's side to give him her support. This had irked Gordon immensely yet he knew his father would need her and that the help she could offer the police with her secret service and government contacts would quite possibly be vital.

Despite his calm appearance, John was just as worried as Gordon, but his mind had been working through the larger picture and he'd concerned himself with how well their father would be handling the situation. Having to hand things over to the police must have been difficult and somewhat infuriating, losing the control he'd always had such a tight reign over, especially when it came to family.

John stared over to the wall where the white cordless phone hung silently, it seemed bizarre how such a small thing could hold so much hope, or if things went wrong, despair. Being grounded on the island meant that the fate of their youngest brother seemingly rested on that one small white phone as they waited for it's shrill tone to penetrate the desperate silence.

He knew Gordon wanted to disobey their father and take Tracy Two to the mainland and help in the operation the police were setting out, part of him was tempted to give in and join him yet at the same time he knew his father's reasoning and he understood it. If the Thunderbirds were needed to save Alan then the Thunderbirds needed to be operational, be it with a skeleton staff and Brain's orbiting the planet on Five, they needed to be there as long as it were a possibility.

He sighed for the umpteenth time that hour and ran a hair through his disheveled hair, it stuck up in funny angles through the repetitive motion but he didn't care. All that mattered now was hearing that Alan was safe and well and that they could bring him home.

* * *

I Have No One

I have a heart,  
but no one to give it to.

I have a soul,

but no one to share it with.

I have a mind,  
but no one to hear its thoughts.

I have a body,  
but no one to hold it close.

I have fantasies,  
but no one to make them come true.

I have doubts,  
but no one to tell me to believe.

I have anxiety,

but no one to save me from fear.

I have despair,

but no one to make me hope.

I have no one,

isn't there someone out there to give me to?

* * *

Taio had never been afraid of dying, he had never really let the thought of it pass through his mind, not since the death of his wife. All other life just kept going, there was always work to be done and money to be made, the world never stopped.

No. He was unafraid of his own death, his mind had spent so long consumed with such overwhelming loss that anything else felt insignificant and worthless to him. No one compared to her kindness, her honesty, and what he only ever saw as perfection. Brown eyes welcoming him into the day followed by that radiant smile that warmed his soul.

At the time he knew he was lucky to have found her, lucky that she had blessed him with her own love and that they were going to share in that love by having a child. Nine months of preparation, nine months of sheer joy and bewilderment at every new piece of information about the baby and what was to be expected. Nine months leading up to a midnight dash into a quiet hospital ward, nerves taking hold and sending knots of worry and hope through the pit of his stomach.

But then there she was, his beautiful baby girl. His baby. Their baby. Her fingers and tiny toes so perfect and so, so beautiful. Her eyes blinking owlishly out into the new world before her. That was the happiest he had ever seen his wife and in turn it had filled him with such joy and such devotion, such hope for the future that seemed to lay forever at their feet.

But life was cruel. The world was cruel. People were cruel. The centre of his universe had been shot dead by a stray bullet in a botched robbery attempt in a jewelry store, in a moment she had been taken from him and all that love and compassion they had shared was suddenly left hanging in the empty air.

Losing someone in such a cruel unforgiving way tainted that perfect memory, when he looked back he could easily recall the pain of returning home to a crying baby without a mother. Listening to the well wishes of mourners that he couldn't bring himself to believe in, they'd never understand the true meaning of pain. Every time there was a knock at the door or the phone rang he felt so certain to have dreamt the events, that she'd be there holding him and telling him how everything was ok and it was all some horrible nightmare, that he wasn't alone.

He'd distanced himself, money allowed him to avoid home life and to throw himself into work all too easily. He paid a nanny, he hired a housekeeper and bought apartments closer to his various working locations. His home life began to come in the form of letters and emails, photos sent of a young child growing up so quickly. It wasn't that he didn't love the child, or that he didn't want to be a father. Every time he looked at those photos and when he rarely went to visit her all her could see were the brilliant brown eyes of a lost wife and a wide smile that shone out a thousand hopes that fell down defeated in his heart. Every time he saw the child the jagged pieces of his heart felt as though they'd dug even deeper into his chest, tearing open new wounds he didn't want to remember. No, it wasn't that he didn't love her, it was that he felt as though he didn't deserve to.

He wanted so much for Tess, his baby girl. He wanted her to grow up in Italy where she knew her heritage and could find a love for the country he so desperately missed yet couldn't bring himself to go back to. She needed the language to flow through her veins, the warm summers shining down on her and for the joy of life. America felt so cold to Taio after what had happened, the love he'd once held for it had slipped into a darkness of hate and despair. The only ties that remained were that of his wife's life there and the businesses he had used to build walls around himself.

Taio knew what he'd done was wrong yet there was no one to stop him anymore, no one to rein him in, smile, and tell him everything would be alright. Nothing was ever going to be alright. Sending Tess away should have kept her safe yet her life was dull and she'd missed out on the opportunities he'd thrown her way, forever obsessed with finding her way back to her father and trying to make him show her some ounce of emotion, some ounce of regret that she could never possibly understand.

She'd grown into her own person, so free spirited and alive, so much like her mother yet at the same time so, so different. He felt like he didn't know her, he didn't deserve to be in her life and that she didn't know what she wanted, she didn't understand. So he'd pushed her away, watching from the sidelines as she hung around desperately trying to get in contact and to arrange meetings to see him.

Of course the timing of everything had been horrendous, when it seemed as though she'd finally given up on him and would go to Europe Taio had to get mixed up with his overwhelming obsession with Jeff Tracy. A man who throughout all hardships had faced life head on and made so many successes. A man who had done the opposite to Taio, given his family all the love his heart could give and been there for them every step of the way, seemingly leaving the death of his wife behind, erasing the memories and starting a new.

He shouldn't have dragged Tess into it, he knew that now. But he didn't want her here, he didn't like seeing her walking down the same street in which her own mother had died. His heart was in his throat ever time they met and the only way he felt able to make her leave was to make her hate him, make her leave for her own life wherein he was no longer a part. This was not a life he wanted her to be part of.

Looking back he could see how awfully wrong he'd made things, how each decision in turn had all led up to this one point of agonizing realization. How by trying to save himself from the pain he had in turn caused more pain than he could have ever realized.

* * *

Alan was scared, cold, aching, and wishing the weather outside the window would stop the low growls of the threatening storm. He didn't cope well with thunderstorms, it was an irrational fear but the thunder and lightning terrified him beyond all reckoning, without his father's and brother's comfort he was sure his heart would tear from his chest through fear.

He tried to distract his overactive mind and to visualize what he had been looking forward to doing over the holidays; seeing his brothers all together instead of on the single visits they made to him at school. Being on the sunny island and following potential rescue missions from command and control, learning as much as he possible about the job he so longed to one day fill, having John down on rotation from Five…

He desperately tried to see the happiness the envisage how the summer was meant to be, but try as he might he couldn't shake the images and thoughts of the last few hours, they filled his mind like a nervous itch he couldn't help but scratch away at until the memories flooded in. He'd shake them out but they just repeated, again and again he tried to figure out where everything had gone wrong, but he couldn't begin to process how things had gotten to where he was now, left alone in a dark unfamiliar office handcuffed to a chair. It was a far cry from his island paradise.

The car that had brought him there had finished its journey in an underground car park disturbingly similar to the one it had set off from, the same flickering lights and a singular vehicle parked alone despite the time of day. There were differences such as the pallets of gas canisters lined along one of the walls, empty pallets stood stacked by the side of them and mounds of cardboard boxes besides that. They looked used and abandoned as though someone was avoiding thinking of a use, unnecessary mess that you wouldn't find in any Tracy buildings.

Two of the car's occupants had exited the vehicle with Alan in tow, removing the bag from his head they had led the hobbling teen silently to the elevator and up into the building itself. The building differed most strikingly to that of Tracy Towers in it's age; the blocky structure seemed designed to fit most purposes yet felt dark and cold, even without the given situation it would not be considered welcoming.

After what seemed like minutes the lift had finally come to a shuddered stop and they'd walked out into a dark, wide hallway, the patterned carpet clashing violently with the cigarette stained garish wallpaper on the walls. Nondescript doors lined the way, shut against them as though closed until office hours or until somebody found a key. There had been a smell in the air, dry and harsh, scratching at the back of Alan's throat like sandpaper, he'd wanted to cough but daren't cut the silent atmosphere with the noise.

He'd been led past the rooms until they reached one at the end, the door looking down the length of the corridor as though watching them and waiting. A few leather chairs sat awkwardly by the door, the carpet before them worn with what could only be construed as with that of a pacing motion. Though Alan had felt sure that whoever had paced before the room so ardently had less to be worried about than he did at that moment in time. At least he hoped so, his mind had instantly been filled with one hundred awful scenarios of that of the people who had been there before him.

At the time he'd been surprised that when the men had made their way into the room, they'd found the room empty. They seemed non-fazed by the lack of welcome and had been happy to handcuff him to one of the heavy chairs before the desk and to turn heel and seeming desperately relieved, leave, still muttering about the shit they were going to be in if and most probably when Zucco found out what had happened. To put it simply, Alan's list of worries had mounted.

The uncomfortable car ride had felt an eternity in which time Alan had convinced himself that telling Zucco the truth about what had happened to Tess would be the best course of revenge, especially for the men having snatched him in the first place. Yet now, sat in the darkened room with no sound other than his own quickened breathing and the rain lacing down the windows, he wasn't too sure whether he wanted to be alone with the man at all, let alone voice the words about what had happened. Suddenly he had found himself on the side of his kidnappers, hoping to hell that Taio wouldn't know, that maybe the situation could be resolved before news got through, or maybe he wouldn't turn up at all and the next face he'd see would be that of his father's. Yet he knew all too well that it was an impossible hope.

After a while his hearing adjusted to the silence and he could hear the ticking of a clock behind him, at first it had gone by unnoticed yet as the minutes went by the noise seemed sickening. He turned in the chair to watch the slow motion the second hand seemed to make, yet each time his heart seemed to thud in surprise as it moved, unsure whether being able to see time passing was something he was thankful of or something he wished would just go away. He wanted to envisage the Thunderbirds coming to save him, his brothers and his father a second closer to his rescue, a minute closer to the flight home. On rescue missions every second was important, yet now they seemed in abundance and wasted on the dead air.

Maybe they wouldn't come, maybe they wouldn't know where to look, maybe they wouldn't care. He shook himself. They'd care, he knew that. If they didn't he wouldn't always be at the receiving end of his dads anger on the receipt of his report card, results lower than any his brothers had ever had. If they didn't care then why did they tease him so much? You had know someone to truly upset them, to dig within their souls and pull out the words to say to send cracks throughout the heart.

He shook himself again, trying to think of positives rather than letting his mind play negatives and dig into the parts of his own thought processes that could really loosen those cracks and tear his heart apart, far cleaner and easier than the thunder and lightening outside of the window.

The loved him. They cared. They would come for him. When his father said that you couldn't save everyone, he never meant family. Right?

His breath hitched in his throat as he heard the lift at the end of the hallway ring out as it reached the current floor, he found himself wide eyed staring towards the door as slow footsteps made their way ever closer. Creaking floor boards and a soft squeak of leather soles on the carpeted corridor charting the wearers journey towards Alan.

He knew who it was before the handle fully turned, having never met the man he could only envisage his appearance and the anger that would be portrayed through his every feature. He stood but the heavy chair held his handcuffed wrist in place so he awkwardly sat back down, unsure whether to remain where he was or put the chair between himself and Taio. Not that he could go anywhere.

As the door opened Alan was surprised to see a rather disheveled, tired looking man. A whisky glass and bottle held awkwardly in one hand whilst the other fumbled for the light switch, eyes glancing over to Alan before he turned away and made his way to the desk that stood before the teenager.

The man seemed half lost, blinking owlishly at the rain beating against the window, watching tears of water make their way down the windowpane before dripping out into the night. It seemed an almost hypnotic motion, the street lights below casting hues of blues and yellows into the room, now lit by small old-fashioned lamps lining the walls.

Taio let the bottle of whisky sit before him, turning to it and staring hard at the label before finishing his glass and pouring another, he gaze finally making its way back to Alan.

"Tough night, kid."

Alan had expected a large, strongly build and powerful man, which admittedly Taio was. Yet with such a tired, lost and almost sad demeanor he seemed almost small, a shadow of what he'd imagined, a whisper of the fear in his mind. He was afraid of the man yet suddenly didn't feel quite so helpless, he knew he had a weapon and it would be the one thing that generally got him into the most amount of bother in the first place. Speech. It would be his savior or his downfall, people were always telling him that.

He watched for a minute, eyes wavering between the drink Taio clutched at so desperately and the distant look in his eyes. Confusion and something else Alan couldn't read… loss?

"Is she dead?" He whispered, his hushed tones sounding plenty loud enough through the silence. He thought he already knew the answer, how could the man before him be showing anything but? Yet by how his father had spoken of Taio he had been portrayed as so uncaring, cruel and calculating, not a family man at all. Maybe this was something else.

Taio's looked up slowly and they met eyes, grief meeting fear yet holding their own until Taio finally shook his head for some kind of response, yet the one that followed did not tie with the motion.

"They hit her with the damned car." He hissed the words as though poisonous, hatred seething between his teeth in a spray of saliva, the glass banged down against the wood of the desk and he shook his head again, half awakening from the stupor he'd fallen into. He looked away from the young Tracy and leant down by the desk, shuffling through one of the draws and pulling out a box of cigars. "Why the hell was she even there?"

Alan wasn't sure if the question was directed at him but he felt the guilt anyway, he felt solely accountable that anyone had been there in the first place, clearly it shouldn't have come to that. "Have you seen her?" He asked shakily. Taio's voice had risen yet he still couldn't bring himself to raise his own, he didn't want the anger in the man directed at him yet it was an impending certainty.

"What?" The man took a swig of his whisky straight from the bottle before pouring himself another into the glass, eyeing the half empty bottle with distain before turning to the cigars and running one through his fingers. "No. She got hit by a damned car, why the hell would I want to see that?"

For the second time in as many minutes Alan wanted to put the chair between himself and the man, he was grateful of the desk but feared where this was heading. Before the summer his only true knowledge of fear had been that of most teenagers, fear of bringing that report card home, fear of admitting to an ill deed and probably one of his larger fears, fear of rejection. Later, when he looked back, he'd realize the depth of the emotion.

"She might have survived." He hadn't seen the after effects but the position she'd landed in and the sound her body had made as it hit the windscreen had been enough to convince him of the outcome, he still held onto that hope though. People survived worse, miracles happened, medicine was amazing. "You need to check…" His words faded into nothingness, lost in the silence as Taio surveyed him with a curious gaze, the scrutiny uncomfortable. The man had cut the end of the cigar and was playing with the lighter he'd withdrawn from his jacket pocket, flicking it over and over again so the flame flickered and died in one easy motion. "They must have taken her to a hospital." Alan continued, desperate for the man to make some kind of positive action to stop wherever this could be leading. "She might need you… she will need you."

Taio let out a long breath, finally lighting the cigar and taking a slow drag. "I'm not going through that again, not now."

"You can't just kill her off, you need to know what happened! You obviously care enough to be concerned else you wouldn't be acting like you are now!" His voice rose as his anger and confusion made it's way through, the handcuff on his wrist rattling against the armrest on the chair as he waved his arms exasperatedly.

Taio glared, eventually standing and making his way around the desk on which he perched, leaning over so his face was just inches from Alan's own, an arm reaching back and nails digging into the upholstery by the teens shoulder. "You speak of things you have no idea about, you're a child who has no clue about life and death or how much it hurts to lose someone you love. You know nothing of this, you know nothing other what your prissy island life in the sun, surrounded by endless wealth and what you are told, tells you." He growled, words sharp. "You cannot possibly understand."

Alan opened his mouth to retaliate, scared yet also angry at the man's presumptions, yet his words didn't have the chance to form.

"You think you can compare the loss of your mother to this?" Taio leant back, folding his arms yet still glaring with blue murder down at the blonde. "How old were you when she died? Do you even remember her? No? So how on earth can you ever imagine what it feels like to lose someone in such a way?"

He couldn't answer that, it was the truth and it had hurt him throughout his life. How could he ever relate to the grief his brother's and father had gone through when he understood nothing of it? It was spiteful and selfish yet he was jealous not to be able to share in that grief, not to be able to exchange stories and understand others when they spoke of her. Not to remember her in the slightest.

"I might not have known her but I know how the loss has effected my entire family! Everyday I can see the hole it has left yet I can do nothing about it. I've lost someone I never even knew and I can't even voice my own thoughts and feelings because people like you tell me I have no right." He looked away, the anger was stinging his eyes and the rumble of thunder outside the building had his heart in flutters. "You think it's easy living in the shadow of something like that? Huh? That because my dad has money and has raised us means that he didn't love our mom? It's not me who has no idea, it's you." His words ghosted the air in a whisper, his mind screamed for him not to goad the man yet he was fed up of being told he had no idea, that he didn't understand and that he was just a child. He had cried over the loss time and time again whilst growing up, he had cried for the want of a mother and for the want of making the hurt his family was feeling go away. He didn't want to watch on powerlessly with how strongly they grieved or how the simplest of memories could bring a man as strong as his father to his knees. If anyone wanted to feel truly helpless then that was a feeling he would happily give away.

Taio blew a trail of smoke out into the air, the smell sharp and dry and overly sweet making Alan's eyes water more than ever. He wanted to seem strong yet the anger inside was buckling him.

"Jeff Tracy has truly developed the art of passing the buck." He barked a laugh, rolling his eyes as he shook his head, standing and returning back to his chair behind the desk. "Five sons to take on the emotional weight of responsibility - clever. Not something I had even thought of." Alan frowned, not understanding the turn in the conversation but Taio ignored him and continued, smiling to himself as he thought it through. "You know why I had you snatched? No? I wanted to flare some kind of emotional response in the unbreakable man, yet now I realize just how easily I could break him. Maybe I shouldn't have just targeted the one son, maybe I needed to take down the five walls that hold Jeff Tracy up on his pedestal." He gestured wildly with his hands.

"This has to end." He didn't for a second doubt that Taio would target his whole family if he felt he needed to, with the amount of alcohol the man had seemingly consumed it just made the horrible possibilities all the more likely. "I'm sorry that you don't like my dad, sometimes I don't even like him and I'm sure as hell that sometimes he doesn't like me, but he and my brothers are all I have and no matter what, I love them. Think of what you'd give to see Tess… to see your wife again, think of how much that would mean and then think of how much you'd be taking from my dad if you continued on this vendetta." He tried to find the mans eyes but he'd stood again and was once more gazing out the window. "Please Mr Zucco. What's this going to achieve?"

Taio leant against the wall and sighed, breath clouding up the window pane before him as he gazed out into the night. "I've got nothing left to live for." He muttered the words so quietly that Alan hardly heard, he leant forward, his free hand raised as he questioned whether or not to touch the man before him in what he hoped would be a reassuring gesture. Undecided the hand just hung in the air, a moment waiting to see the uncertain future.

"You have everything to live for." He didn't want to be dealing with this, he didn't want his own limited knowledge to be the make or break of the situation. "You have to live for the people you've lost, we all do…" Alan took a deep breath, his own curiosity niggling away at the back of his mind with words he knew should have been left unsaid. "Ring the hospital, find out about Tess."

Taio rolled his head back and pushed himself away from the wall, Alan's hand fell as the man turned back towards him with a key in his hand. He couldn't help but hide the hint of a smile as Taio proceeded to unlock the handcuff and pull the teen to his feet, dusting his shoulders as though he'd gathered dust in the relatively short time he'd been there.

"Are you going to call them?" He asked, turning to the door through which they'd entered the room, a hand on his throbbing ribs but the relief of being released masking the pain.

The man gave his own smile, whiskey abandoned he took Alan's arm and squeezed it painfully.

"No." He shook his head and let out a grunt of amusement. "I'm going to kill you and then I'm going to destroy your family, piece by piece."

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A/N  
I really wanted this chapter to be a lot longer but I feel I've kept you waiting long enough, so you can have a cliff hanger with the promise of lots of action from now on! Yay! The next chapter is held hostage till I get lots of tasty reviews x


	13. How It Ends

**I always set out with each chapter in mind and what it'll involve yet a lot of the storyline ends up being put in the following chapter, or even the one after that. As I've never wrote a full fic before I didn't realized how these things can grow and how they really do become slightly obsessive. Or how I get frustrated at the number of followers to this fic which for each chapter greatly outweighs the reviews… grr you silent followers, make yourself heard!**  
**Thank you so much to those of you who take the time to review and let me know what you think, the fic started of rather messy and will need a lot of work to get it all polished off (when complete) and what I'd like to think of as improvement, and for the want and need to do this, comes down to you. Gorgeous reviewers, you are my guiding lights. **

**Shout out to CC who has just started a new Alan/Virgil fic, my favorite author on the site who always brings the goods. Not reading her fics is seriously depriving your eyes.**

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For a moment neither of them spoke, their eyes met in a deadlock of understanding as they waited to see what the other would do. Alan's eyes were the first to drift, wide with shock and a new level of fear he'd never before felt he looked down to where Taio's fingers dug into his right arm. His heart was hammering making it hard for him to think, he could hear the rain beating at the window and the storm that was well and truly above them rumbling like the drummer before the gallows yet his thoughts wouldn't focus.

The cigar between Taio's lips trembled giving him an almost maddened expression, flashes of lightening highlighting his face but also casting shadows below his brow and nose. He looked like he'd lost what little sense he had, his mind unable to process what had happened he'd turned to what he could make happen and at that point in time the only thing in his way was Jeff Tracy. With only one goal in mind his inhibitions vanished beyond the edge of reason and he relished the new found control.

He held the cigar in his spare hand, blowing out a trail of smoke straight into Alan's pale face, the blonde's eyes closed against it momentarily, eyelids fluttering upwards to someone who suddenly didn't seem quite as small and weak as when he'd first walked into the room. Whatever power Alan had felt he had or could gain through the show of weakness had well and truly vanished.

"I didn't come here to kill you." Taio mused, looking towards the door. "I was going to scare you a bit, let Jeff wallow in his pitiful failure to protect his son before I returned you undamaged." He barked a laugh. "Not harming his precious offspring would show Jeff just what I was capable of, such an easy transition between giving and taking."

Alan frowned, Taio wasn't intent on achieving any kind of dialogue between them, he was commentating on his own musings. Rambles of a man driven mad by obsession and loss, his mind digging itself deeper into whatever crevasse he'd been wallowing in.

"You can still do that." He was shaking, he could feel his arm against Taio's grip and knew the man could feel his fear yet he couldn't stop himself.

"No." Taio let out that low rumbling laugh again that gelled with the thunder all too easily. "I'm tired Alan, I'm getting too old for this game we play." He ran his free hand through his greasy black hair, ash falling unceremoniously from the cigar between his fingers. "Like all games, everything needs to come to an end."

"I don't understand." Alan tried to step back but Taio pulled him closer, he could feel his breath on his face as he calmly looked down upon him.

"I'm going to finish this tonight, first you, then your brothers one by one, and then I will bring Jeff Tracy to his knees." His eyes were manic, wide and unseeing as his mind raced around the possibilities.

In one swift motion he used his grip on Alan's arm to swing him round, unprepared for the sudden movement the teen didn't have time to catch himself and fell to the floor with a thud, his ribs crying out for an end to their punishment and the straps protecting his foot searing with pain. A hiss escaped his teeth but he didn't have time to dwell on the injuries he already had, he had to protect himself from those to come.

Scrambling on weak limbs he turned and edged away until his back came up against a tall bookcase on the opposite wall, the back of his already pounding skull hit one of the shelves and brought the reality of the situation into a much more disturbing clarity. The room was poorly lit and the weather seemed to hide much of the outside world, yet the man before him was all too real, there was no waking up from the nightmare.

Taio was grinning like a mad man, his smile stretched from ear to ear as he wrung his hands and stepped forward, cigar protruding from his lips sending the smile into a half sneer, teeth glistening along with the whites of his eyes.

"I could just shoot you." He mused, catching one of Alan's flailing feet - thankfully the uninjured one - with a hand and pulling him sharply back. His head hit the ground this time, his shirt riding up over his stomach he once more tried to scramble away but there was nowhere to go. "Though that would be far too quick." Taio went on, snatching hold of the blonde's ankles and sharply pulling him into the centre of to room. "You deserve a bigger send off than that, something to truly capture Jeff's attention."

As Alan's palms scrambled on the floor for some kind of purchase, Taio caught his left hand beneath an Armani loafer and began to press down on sprawled fingers, enjoying the hisses of pain coming from the boy as he struggled to pull away.

Alan knew he had to act, he knew that his fear would get him killed unless he turned it into something akin to a greater self preservation, his family said he was stubborn, he was far too stubborn to die. Not there, not like that. He had curled over himself, knees on the floor with the rest of his body arching around the injured hand Taio had released and stepped away from. The lull was momentarily.

Taio stepped back to allow himself the momentum of the first kick he planned to place in the youngest Tracy's stomach, he didn't expect the until now subdued teen to spring from the half curled position into Taio's own stomach, sending him staggering backwards as he realized what had happened.

Alan didn't wait to see what Zucco would do next, he saw the door and threw himself out of it, ignoring his bodies protests as he stumbled into the dark corridor and along the row of office doors. He instinctively headed the way they'd come in, mind in the there and now rather than foreseeing the fact that he didn't have the time to wait for the elevator. The lit up sign above showed it was at basement level, he cursed out loud at the bad luck, a hand shooting to the call button in a bid of desperation. He spun, searching for a door leading to a flight of stairs or any sign of direction.

He was too slow though. Something hard hit him from behind and he collapsed into a heap, eyes swimming for a moment before he blinked to focus the man who stood above him with a gun in his hand. Whereas before he looked manic he now looked extremely pissed, anger making veins pop out on his brow and the alcohol induced redness on his face increase to an almost maroon color.

"I said I could shoot you," he held the gun in one hand pointed at Alan's head as he stared down to barrel, in the other hand he held the cigar, now nearing a stub as the ash continued to scatter itself wherever the erratic hand movements sent it. As Alan's eyes flickered to follow the ash before settling back on the gun, Taio's eyes followed, and for an agonizing few seconds he watched the fading glow of the embers and smiled in a way Alan would never forget, it sent shivers up his spine.

He gave the fallen teen the kick he'd missed out on and followed with a few extra for good measure, making sure Alan was truly subdued before dragging him back down the corridor and stopping outside of the room they'd previously been in. Alan was having problems staying awake, he had a pain threshold and was beginning to think he'd discovered it and gone way, way beyond. He remembered the seating from before and the carpet outside of the door where a pacing motion must have worn it down. As one of his arms was lifted and used to drag his body his eyes followed Taio, settling on a rusty old fashioned radiator attached behind the chairs. Taio unceremoniously pushed the chairs away so he was able to get at it, still groggy from the kicking Alan didn't follow where things were going until the click of the handcuffs used on him earlier snapping around a wrist and the other end to the radiator, it sent him wide eyed as he knew he couldn't prevent his oncoming death.

"What are you doing?" His words were mumbled, his mouth tasted like pennies from the blood he'd coughed up, lips crimsons and saliva dripping from his chin. He thought Taio was going to shoot him and leave him for dead, vaguely he wondered how long it would be before his body would be found.

"I'm setting your world on fire, young Tracy. I'm going to bring your world burning down to ashes around you." He shrugged off his jacket, retrieving a lighter from his pocket he flipped it open and watched the flame with morbid curiosity. "When my wife died my world was torn apart, Jeff seems to have forgotten how that feels. He seems to think money can fix things, well I tried that and guess what? It doesn't."

"No…" Releasing the grip he had with his free arm over his ribs, Alan clawed forward towards Taio, desperate to try to stop him yet reaching only thin air. "They wouldn't want this!" He hissed, words wet with blood and a spray of saliva. "You're family Taio, they wouldn't want you to do this! They'd want you to move on."

Apart from the rain and rumbles of thunder it felt so quiet it highlighted how alone they were, both men gazing at one another. Shaking his head Taio sighed, letting the flame ghost the edge of his jacket as he backed away. "If they hadn't been taken away from me then maybe I wouldn't have to be here now." The jacket caught alight, he was already halfway down the corridor with it yet turned and grinned, "If your beloved father hadn't forgotten his own wife then none of this would have needed to happen, it's a shame I had to remind him of such things. You can't get over a loss so easily, no matter how much money you have." He dropped the coat by one of the office doors, a good thirty feet from Alan yet the fire was picking up and no doubt it would catch the carpet alight. "Let that be your final thought Alan, your father failing you and your mother in every way possible."

He left through a far door, presumably to the stairway and to an easy exit, leaving Alan pulling desperately against his handcuffed hand whilst eye's still glued to the flames of the jacket which easily spread to the carpet and edged its way outwards, wider and wider and higher and higher.

"TAIO!" He screamed, fear in his voice evident but he didn't care, he didn't want to die and he wasn't going to hide the fact now. "TAIO!"

Taio smiled to himself, he felt that he deserved a celebratory drink but recalled having left his favorite whisky on his desk. The memory earned a smirk as he thought of the fact it would be helping the flames. "Have one on me, kid." He muttered, jogging down the stairway at a leisurely pace.

Ironically as he'd left the corridor he'd heard the lift ring as it reached the floor, no doubt young Tracy would have sat and watched the doors opening and waiting for him, maybe it would have driven home the fact that no one would be coming. It was a shame that Jeff would never know such minor details though Taio supposed he could always fill him in later, particular expression played on the cries for help the teen was still sending his way. It didn't make him feel at all guilty, quite the opposite really, the feeling of control spurred him on.

As he reached the basement level leading into the underground parking area he imagined he could smell the smoke that would quickly envelope the old office building, the flames would help cleanse his way to a better future, one without Jeff Tracy. It was a sobering thought which put a spring into his stride, car keys twirling round a finger as he headed towards his car at the back of the lot. He was just about there when there was a resounding clicking sound that seemed to echo through the parking bays and all of a sudden rain seemed to be pouring down around him, soaking his suit and plastering his hair to his skin as it seeped down into his eyes. It only took a moment of dawning to realize that in fact it wasn't rain at all.

"Shit." He hadn't thought of that, it was a stupid oversight yet the building was so old and for so long had been barely used, checks hadn't been carried out in years…The sprinkler system.

No doubt it had taken longer than health and safety experts would have liked to kick in yet it was operational and probably dowsing the fire he'd hoped would end Alan Tracy's life. He swore to himself, a muttered mind thesaurus of expletives as he spun around for some kind of sign or idea as to how to get his plan back in motion.

There was one other car in the lot, not useful unless he moved the kid again which he really didn't want the hassle of doing. There were some empty pallets left piled by a wall, probably quite flammable as long as they didn't get too watered down but not really enough to bring down the building.

He smiled a toothy smile as his eyes fell on the various canisters by another pile of crates, they'd all been put together yet they looked like they hadn't been moved in years. Still, even if they were presumably empty they'd have enough gas for an explosion, coupled together with the solitary car it would make for an interesting scenario.

He spent the next half hour carefully maneuvering the canisters to the stairwell leading up into the building, he could have set them off anywhere yet a fire in the stairway would quickly spread upwards. Also, he'd spied painted white metal pipes leading from the bottom of the stairwell up into the building. The main pipe which led up through the stairwell and off into various floors started its journey below ground, at the level he was on Taio was faced with an intersection where the main pipe was sectioned off at a junction of levers and wheels before they went on their own paths. The levers and wheels themselves had been painted over with thick industrial paint that had prevented any tampering, yet Taio felt fairly certain that plowing a car into them could quite possibly dislodge the whole thing. With a bit of luck, anyway.

He'd smiled to himself before resuming his plan. Some of the canisters he moved into the stairwell were much heavier than others which gave him the hope of a larger explosion if his everything played out, it would be the trigger to what he hoped to start. Conveniently the double doorway to the stairwell was around the same width as a car, left in position at the other end of the car park with fuel soaked into its upholstery and Taio's lighter at the ready, everything was set to go. All he needed to do was set the car in gear, light the damned thing and then get the hell out of there, though he quite fancied the idea of watching from a distance.

One Tracy problem solved.

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Jeff knew the cops were doing their jobs to the best of their ability, yet at the time their ability seemed to consist of coffee breaks every five minutes and long winded conversations over what they should be doing next. What seemed like half the police force for the entire city had been put on the job, most likely because they knew Jeff Tracy was a celebratory billionaire that the media would be watching closely, whatever steps they took would later be scrutinized in detail. It was swings and roundabouts, each step forward seemed to require a step back and so far there were no clues into where Alan had been taken or who had taken him.

Scott had been busy arguing with whoever he could lay hands on about the person he felt they should be after - Taio Zucco, yet as his father kept telling him there was no physical evidence so other than supposed speculation all the police could do was to give Taio a courtesy call and inquire as to his whereabouts and whether he knew anything about the situation. It was ridiculous. Eventually and with the help of the threat of being put in one of the cells to cool down, Scott had backed off and had returned to his father's and brother's side, muttering about how little help this was doing.

"Any news from Lady P?" Virgil enquired, coffee cup clutched in his hands as he blew the rising steam away. They were sat in an empty office at the downtown station, door open so they could see the humdrum of activity beyond yet feeling secluded and uninvolved.

"She's got people looking for Taio but other than that, nothing. I just don't understand why he'd go so far…" Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose, he'd been scrolling through his cell trying to find someone who might be able to help or something that could be of use but his eyes were unseeing as his mind blurred through the sudden change in events. "Any news from the hospital?"

"No."

"All the security cameras in the city and they can't track one van, stolen or not surely it's recognizable, surely the number plates being picked up somewhere." Scott couldn't sit still, he felt grounded, told point blank not to help in the search for his baby brother. He wasn't use to feeling so useless and just wanted to be doing something, anything that could be even the slightest help. He was field commander to the Thunderbirds for God sake, he wanted to shout it from the rooftops till they listened and realized that he could be far more help than they could possibly imagine. For all they knew Alan's life was on the line yet protocol made him hold his tongue.

"I hope he's ok," Virgil breathed out the words, voicing the largest thought in all three of their minds. "I don't think Taio will hurt him though, he wants to get at you right?" He glanced to his father who frowned, nodding slightly. "He's playing a twisted game but so far he's only done it to hurt you Dad, vanishing doesn't seem his forte."

"Hmm. That's true, though he's changed so much from the man I once knew. To think all of this started because I refused to work alongside him, he doesn't seem stable any more."

"That's what scares me most." Scott stood again, trying not to pace he walked to the door and leaned against the frame, looking out glumly. "He was crazy before Alan was taken, if he knows what's happened to Tess then what's to say he wouldn't do something stupid? We don't know what he'll do and right now that could be anything."

Standing and looking between his sons Jeff shook his head and brought himself up, returning his cell to his jacket pocket he tried to smile. "We can't think like that, if we focus on what could happen then we'll lose sight of the here and now and that's when we really lose control. We might not be able to help physically right now but we have contacts, we have technology, and let's not forget that we have a space ship orbiting the earth searching for your brother. Taio knows nothing of what we're truly capable of, if he thinks we're going down without a fight then he's got another thing coming."

Virgil nodded, returning his fathers confident smile as they both turned to Scott, glad to see some of the spark of hope had returned to his eyes as he nodded. "Let's hope Alan sees things that way."

Virgil booted up the computer in the room, setting up a secure link between Thunderbird Five and the desktop he began exchanging information and brought up the current police reports and the logs of the choppers current up in the skies. Knowing what work was being done was a great asset to ascertaining what needed doing and what areas were being left uncovered. Jeff watched over his shoulder and commented as he noticed things Virgil hadn't and vice versa, the activity alone bringing their spirits up, be it slightly.

"I don't think they took him far." Highlighting the areas of the city covered by CCTV Virgil outlined the area covered overall and it left few routes that the vehicle could have gone untraced. He pointed the unmarked route out. "If they went through South Bank then they'd be heading up the interstate and would have come up through the traffic surveillance by now, so I'd rule that out. They could have headed southbound for a while." He traced down the screen on the aerial map of the city, scrolling out as the route grew longer. "They could have followed this a way but it leads out to a business district and through to a large industrial estate, I've cross checked the business directory but none of these buildings flag as being owned by Zucco." He moved the map once more and zoomed in this time, a smaller route came up which crisscrossed through the smaller city streets, back alleys mainly. "They could have easily planned ahead, it doesn't take a genius to track unmarked streets. They could have gotten across half the city this way yet it's a loop," Virgil circled round loosely. "With the cops on look out there's a good chance they'll get picked up if they followed it."

"That's if the cops have managed to work that out." Scott growled, arms crossed over his chest as he now sat hunched in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Why haven't we heard any news? Huh? A progress report would be good."

"Perhaps, son," Jeff put on his best parenting voice, "they need to concentrate on finding your brother rather than keeping you updated. They are trained for these things you know, despite what it feels like they do know what they're doing and they're revered as a great police force. You've got to let them do their job, remember that."

"Hmm."

He wasn't filled with faith and right now he felt far from any kind of faith at all, things at the moment had just progressed from bad to worse, someone up there seemed to like throwing curveballs just to see how they coped. Either that or there was a vendetta against the Tracy family, it certainly seemed so.

As his father and Virgil skimmed through the police reports and discussed the thinking of the notes and references different officers had made he found himself tuning out, the steady hum outside the room couple with their busy voices was beginning to drill into his mind giving him an unpleasant headache. He was forever being told that he worried too much yet when he couldn't be amidst the action and in control all he was left to were his thoughts and who could blame him for them shifting between possibilities of what could or already had happened to Alan. He was his eldest brother, he'd practically raised the kid when their mom had died. Scott couldn't help but feel almost solely responsible for letting everything happen, allowing things to get so far.

Unsure how long he'd been dwelling on depressing thoughts he found the noise from around coming back into focus, it wasn't his brother or father who had interrupted his reverie though, it was the distinct lack of noise that suddenly filled the background. Looking up and out of the room he realized that the din had died down and the busy station had slowed, less people flitted from desk to desk and there was a noticeable divide in the room.

He stood and once again found himself leaving against the doorframe.

"Hey." Scott turned to his father and gestured outwards, "Is it just me or has everything slowed down?"

Jeff looked up from the computer screen, as did Virgil who shrugged. "Maybe another job came in, big city means lots to keep them busy. Unfortunately they can't give Alan all their time and resources." Virgil gave Scott what he supposed was a reassuring look.

"Hmm. I suppose."

As Virgil and Jeff went back to the screen Scott tried to catch the eye of one of the workers at the desk, having being told quite forcibly to stay out of their space he was finding it difficult to refrain and not just march straight over. Luckily for them a passing officer stopped to see what he wanted, sighing as he looked over his shoulder and shared Virgil's thoughts on the city keeping them on their toes.

"Fire department just got a big call out." He explained, his radio buzzing occasionally with static as traffic messages were relayed. "Office building has gone up down West Park, they're having to cordon off the area whilst the fire crews do their stuff."

West Park was in the business district, a quieter area yet other buildings surrounded it. "Sure seems like they've sent a lot of cops to deal with a fire." Scott grumbled, understanding the need yet not wanting to in such circumstances. The cop reiterated what he was thinking.

"Yeah, well, fires are usually suspicious and they always attract the whacko's, if we didn't cordon such areas off they'd probably be sat roasting marshmallows." He rolled his eyes, a short laugh suggesting he'd seen plenty of stupidity on an equal scale before. "Typical night for city cops I'm afraid."

Scott smiled glumly and let the man on his way, the feeling of uselessness once again rolling over as he slumped back into his chair and let himself sink back into thought. The buildings down in West Park were old and mostly deserted office buildings, if it wasn't for the wacko's then letting the fire burn itself out would have been a favorable option.

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**- Please review -**


	14. Where There's Smoke

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Disclaimer - I don't own the Thunderbirds.

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It was a strange dream, visions of blues and reds swam around me in a haze of mixed clarity. Sometimes the images were clear, striking moments of panic tainted with colors I couldn't shake from my mind, then the images became blurred and seemed to mix together in a kaleidoscope of confusion. The dream was tiring and felt far too long, I wanted so desperately to wake up and grasp life and everything that was real but the images repeated themselves again and again and I found myself unable look away.

The sounds weren't as bad but the sounds and the visions together unsettled me, again someone called my name, someone close. I knew the fear in their voice, and the voice was one I knew well. The sound etched with sirens which swam in and out of awareness for what seemed an eternity, a looped feedback of something I couldn't quite remember. There were running footsteps, cries of alarm and fear.

The colors and sounds slowly faded and for a time I was left in silence, my mind glad of the refuge. Once they began I prayed for an end, begged for it. I didn't want to die but I didn't want to be useless in whatever was happening around my body, I wanted to get up and rush to their aid, reassure that voice that I was there and able to stop whatever the sirens raced towards.

Sometimes I felt someone touch my skin, a hand on the cheek as the rushed footsteps ended. Tap. Tap. Tap. I felt someone shake me gently, a gentle nudge into the living world which I wondered whether would be the end of the dream. I knew I had to wake up but I couldn't remember why it felt such an urgent need, I could see people around me in a mist yet their faces were no more than smudged skin tones that flitted past.

One feeling that felt more real than any other was the pressing on my chest, heavy and restricting to each and every breath I forced in and out of my lungs. I was aware that my heart still beat yet feared what each renewed breath would bring, it seemed to threaten my very existence.

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Justice Collins was a man built for the job, he'd served in the fire service for years but had made chief in less than five. It wasn't a job for the faint of heart or for those easily angered or effected by emotion, you had to be built of strong stuff to have served for as long as he had and you had to know when to walk away from situations you couldn't help with and that were too dangerous to even make an attempt at.

As he watched the smoke rising from the underground parking in the burning office building in West Park he knew that it wouldn't take long for the building to be engulfed, by the way things were going there wouldn't be a building to save at all, it's proximity to the adjacent properties was his number one concern now. So what if the old building burnt to the ground, lives were more important that bricks and foundations. Anyway, if the proprietor had any sense it would be insured. The costs that mattered to Justice were lives and given the high percentage of homeless in the area he had to think carefully before deciding the fire crews' next course of action, carefully and quick.

It was as yet unclear as to how the blaze had begun, in the centre of the flames the shell of a now unidentifiable car smoldering in the heat. From where he and his crew stood he felt confident in saying that there had been no poor soul driving the thing, the cops were already on the case trying to find the owner just to clarify the matter. What really made Justice uneasy were the pipes the flames were edging towards situated at the bottom of the stair well, an earlier blast from several suspiciously ill placed gas canisters had already dislodged them from the wall and they now stood jutted out at odd unnatural angles. Again the cops were checking the building ground works yet he would bet his badge that they were gas pipes, he'd seen his fair share of buildings in his twenty year career to know that you didn't need to be a plumber or gasman to see the obvious. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Because of the risk of explosion he'd ordered a wide perimeter of the building to be set and hadn't allow his crew or the cops anywhere near. Heat radiated from the scene and the weather's downpour did nothing to dampen that, flames blazed upwards as though mocking the rumbling sky.

He'd already put a call in for my police on scene, the blaze was drawing in spectators and the general nuts who seemed to show up whenever their sirens blazed, something he didn't want to nor felt he should have to deal with. Safety was of course the first port of call yet if those idiots didn't show up in the first place his resources could go a lot further.

Sighing he turned to Austin Brookes, a young fireman who'd been on the team a couple of years now, he seemed to be the blue print of what a fire fighter should be and Justice didn't know whether to be worried or proud that the young man before him would probably be stood in his shoes as fire chief one day.

"Think we're going to need to call in some help on this one." Looking around he saw a mixture of worried expressions mixed with excitement and adrenaline, the rest of the guys were securing the perimeter and prepping the trucks to the water mains, the hoses were laid ready for his order, a couple were already dowsing the flames to no effect yet they needed to at least look like they were trying, despite the obvious uselessness at the situation. They needed to insure the fire didn't spread. "With the risk of explosion and gas leakage three trucks just won't cut it."

Austin gave a small sympathetic smile beneath the visor of his helmet, nodding as he followed his eye line at what had already been put into place. "As soon as we find out where the gas goes we'll get it cut off, nothing we can do about the gas canisters."

It was stating the obvious yet it needed to be voiced so he knew everyone was on the same page. "It sure is a tricky one, if we can reach the blaze with the hoses I'd get a full shower going, we won't be able to stop the blaze completely yet but we can at least try and dampen the surrounding area enough to slow it down." He rubbed his chin, clicking his tongue as he thought the idea though. Really it was the only option open to them yet feeling so useless never sat well. "No one goes any closer than the cordoned area for the emergency crews, got it?"

"Sure thing boss." He gave a lazy salute and turned and strode away, already speaking into his radio relaying the order and plan of action. Justice had to admit that he was a good catch for the station, he'd be reluctant to ever say that to his face yet he was probably the best he had, though the feeling that he was always going to be gunning for his job never sat too easy. Especially now he was getting on in years. In such situations you needed men you could trust, over his long career he'd learnt too well that in this game trust came before anything else.

* * *

The smoky air scratched at his lungs, painful and sharp with each and every breath. He couldn't see the fire yet he knew enough to know that in a fire it wasn't the flames that usually killed you, you'd be gone long before they reached you.

Alan had long since stopped his desperate shouting after Taio, begging the man to come back and let him go, he had clung on to the hope of it being a sick joke but hope dissipated as quickly as the clean air. Now he used what little breath he could muster to scream for the help of anyone in the hope that he'd be heard. Maybe he'd imagined it but he was certain there'd been sirens below, even though the lightning through the window at the end of the corridor sent flashes of color illuminating the darkness, he desperately wanted to believe that the blue flashes were something more. They were constant, almost rhythmic.

Part of Alan just wanted to give in and succumb to the darkness that slowly crept into his vision, he kept blinking it back yet he knew it would be so easy to just close his eyes and stop having to worry about drawing in his next breath. If there were fire crews down on the ground then would they even know he was here? He doubted they could hear him above the noise, everything around seemed to roar in his ears making his shouts seem mere whispers.

Scott would be looking for him, he knew that more than anything. Scott wouldn't never willingly let anything happen to Alan, he'd practically raised him when their mother had died and had always made certain he was always safe. The thought did little to comfort Alan now though, Scott didn't know where he was and even if he did know, what could he do? They were on the mainland, the Thunderbirds were miles away across land and sea. Scott was Alan's rock in the world yet even though his eldest brother always seemed so strong and able, he could do little against a raging fire.

Words his dad had once said to him came to mind, they'd scared him when they'd first been spoken yet now they sent shivers up his spine. Were they the words his father had said to his sons when their mom had died?

"You can't save everyone... It doesn't matter how hard you try or how brave you are. It doesn't even matter if it's someone you love, someone you'd give your life in a second to save. You just can't save everyone."

* * *

"Thunderbird F… F… Five receiving. Your location has been logged. Please st… state the emergency."

Brains had been listening into various radio frequencies on the mainland, hoping to find any news at all on Jeff's missing son, he could hack into practically any wavelength from up in the space station yet it seemed to be doing little good and police drawl soon became dull. He'd been on a caffeine high for the past few hours trying to keep his senses alert and on the job, the incoming call had been unexpected yet he found the distraction almost a relief. That was until he reminded himself of the number of operatives currently available, maybe they weren't ready to deal with calls at all.

"Thunderbird Five, we are requesting assistance in tackling a fire, we need specialist help down here, there's not a lot we can do." The man sounded strained, he was almost shouting above the noise around him which was an obviously busy scene. "Sooner the better." He added quietly.

"Who am… am I… sp… sp… talking to?" Brains relayed, the satellite software pinpointed the position of the caller on the screen in front of him, zooming in on the location Brain's was surprised to see the proximity of the call to where Jeff was. Of all the calls to come through…

"Justice Collins, fire chief. I tried to get through about ten minutes ago but was put through to the military, they won't get here in time though, we need immediate assistance as in half hour ago." The man sighed down the phone, there was a plea in his voice that Brains couldn't ignore. Leaning across the controls in front of him he pressed the call button down to Tracy Island to alert Gordon and John to the rescue. He wasn't sure what their response would be to it but Jeff had specifically told him to keep monitoring the calls and had insisted that John and Gordon stay on the island if needed.

"I have men on the way." Thinking back on the radio calls he'd been listening into, Brains had avoided the fire department radio frequencies as he didn't think they'd be of much use, but a number of the police force had been sent to deal with securing an area, maybe it was one of the same. He knew the answer before he'd voiced the question but it was protocol, the man wouldn't have been so desperate if lives weren't at risk. "Are there people inside of the b.. buil… structure?"

There was a long pause, the line went quiet and for a few drawn out seconds Brains thought it had been disconnected, just as he went to toggle the call button the man came back to him. "Well, we thought it was empty…" The pause shone through with uncertainty yet the doubt was more discomforting than a straight answer. "A few of the guys on the ground have been saying they've heard someone shouting, said it sounded like it may be on one of the higher floors the fire hasn't yet reached. Thing is we've got gas canisters and a gas intersection near the epicenter of the blaze so I can't risk having any of my crew go in, it could blow any second. They'd need full breathing apparatus to even enter by one of the clearer routes, if there is someone inside their main worry right now is going to be breathing, not the fire." He paused again, uncertainty weighing. "One of my best men said he heard it to and I wouldn't doubt the guy, I might not have heard it myself but if he's heard it then it's worth confirming."

The Thunderbirds had dealt with many a call out to fire rescues where lack of oxygen and breathing difficulties had been major difficulties, they'd lost more people to smoke inhalation than to burns. He was distracted by his momentary reverie by one of the lights on the console before him, it told Brains the boys were on their way to Thunderbird Two and that there was a call coming through from the island, for now he had to ignore it. He was about to ask the man what help would be required but the question was answered for him as Justice continued voicing through his thoughts.

"If you could get one of your team into the building at a higher level, I don't know, maybe you could find if there's anyone in there? I've heard you have heat seekers, if that's true you might be able to find the poor soul and get to them before it's too late, also without putting your own lives at risk. I'm putting a large percentage of the resources I have available into getting the gas mains shut off but even when that's done there's still the canisters, if you could get above the blaze then we can tackle the fire, I've got pretty much all the resources and man power I could get on scene to help out but we're still going to need you." The pleading tone was back, doubt edged the mans words as he'd obviously not dealt with the Thunderbirds before, he sounded like he was asking one hell of a favor, Brains never saw rescue missions as favors though, if you had the ability then saving lives seemed second nature.

"Thunderbird Two has been dis… dispatched." Brains took a deep breath, multitasking the console with the coordinates for the boys whilst gathering information on the task at hand. "Arrival time…" He quickly brought up the connection to Thunderbird Two's navigation, plotting the route from Tracy Island to the burning building and setting the trajectory, he then quickly ran a simulation of the journey taking into account the weather across the ocean and over the land the 'bird would have to go over, a newer invention he was still in the midst of developing to assess the accuracy. "Fifteen minutes, may be soo… soo… quicker depending on air control and trafficking. The weather over you is…is quite bad, might de.. Delay them slightly." The weather was one worry but so was air traffic, unfortunately being International Rescue did not yet you freedom of the skies, long haul flights with set fuel allowances always got priority, rescue or not.

Justice breathed a sigh of relief down the line, Brains could almost hear his smile. "Thanks. If there is anyone inside you're going to be their only hope right now, at least this way I'll know we've tried everything."

Ignoring the doubt Brains began asking the relevant questions for who the boys should be dealing with on arrival and the details of the lay of the land, luckily the city council had building plans for the burning office block which could be relayed to Thunderbird Two, he was able to mark out the current route of the fire and the dangers posed. Pulling up onto the screen in front of him another of his inventions Brains ran a simulation of how the fire could have spread if it had begun like the fire chief presumed it had, that way he was able to second guess the route the fire would take and where the smoke would go with the layout of the building and it's rooms and windows. It was all subjective yet if it helped then it had to be worth a shot.

* * *

"I know I said I wanted to be closer to Dad and help find Allie but this is ridiculous."

Gordon sat co-piloting Thunderbird Two as John flew her as fast as the engines would allow towards the mainland, on hearing the klaxon on Tracy Island his first thought had been how long he could ignore it before it had to be answered. He knew it was a stupid and irresponsible thing to even think, let alone do, but he felt that only one thing in the world mattered, one life needed saving more than any other and if they were called out to a rescue, they might miss their chance.

John was somewhat glad of the distraction of the rescue mission, he needed the control it gave him and his mind desperately needed some kind of task to keep it ticking over without turning to thoughts that would only fill him with dread. He'd begun worrying fairly early on as to how the two of them would be able to help with a fire, but once Brains had begun relaying the details and he ascertained that they were there to search and retrieve anyone trapped inside the building he felt happier with the situation. The two of them could handle that… He hoped so anyway.

He turned to Gordon, catching his gaze and holding it for a moment. "I know you want to be ready to help Alan but there's a large number of cops on the group securing the perimeter of the building we're heading, the faster we get this done the sooner they can get back to doing their job and finding him. It might not seem like it but right now we're doing the best we can." Forcing a smile he let it drop to a frown as he turned back to the console, his own words reassured himself somewhat but his stomach kept twisting nervously, something didn't feel right.

The journey took a little over ten minutes, the approach slowed them down as dark clouds filled the skies around the city and rumbled unpleasantly, rain lashed down below battling against the burning building that could easily be seen in the distance. John eased Thunderbird Two in slowly, she was large and built to withstand hurricanes yet it required a delicate touch, the downpour played havoc with the landing gear and the visuals around the craft were dismal. Luckily the police had cordoned off a deserted section of road a few hundred feet away from the building, once down John went to relay the task with the crews on the ground, he had much of the information from Brains already but the smallest of details may have helped and he knew that during a rescue ten minutes could change a situation drastically.

As he left the warm confinement of Thunderbird Two he was met with the heavy rain, he wore a helmet with a visor to hide his face yet the water made it's way through and in a moment he felt completely drenched, it was too bad the rain didn't seem to be making any impression on the inferno in front of him.

Inside Thunderbird Two, still dry, Gordon had quickly set to work on setting the proximities to one of the heat seeking programs they used for finding people in such situations, it was unusual to be called to a scene with so many emergency crews already there so it was difficult to get the program to pick out the building from the masses of heat signatures around the area. It took a few minutes to outline the building and with the help of the ground works Brains had sent over he had a basic outline in front of him of the heat signatures inside the structure.

Running a hand through his hair he stared at the screen for a few seconds, if they were going to get inside then things would be difficult, the routes from the ground upwards were blocked and the first couple of floors from the right of the building were ablaze. If they were going to enter then it would have to be at a higher level. Shaking his head he blew the screen in front of him up so he could see closer, starting at the ground floor where the blaze seemed to have originated from and slowly working upwards. The ground floor was a glare of white which indicated its intense heat, it radiated outwards to red, then yellow and finally to green where the fire hadn't hit. Colder areas like the ground around the building were blue.

Ignoring the heat signatures of the first couple of floors where Gordon felt certain no one would have survived, he panned slowly upwards, one floor at a time. Bizarrely the heating in the building still seemed to be working giving the rooms a green tinge and the radiators red glows, he couldn't tell where the smoke was through the program but he knew that it wasn't just the heating warming up the upper floors. The ceilings were showing signs of heat exposure, the ones a few floors above the fire glowing reds and the ones above in hues of yellow that weren't far behind. If the floors below went then the ones above would quickly follow.

When his eyes fell on the clear form of a person along one of the hallways Gordon was surprised he hadn't seen them before, once he spotted them they seemed so blatantly apparent against the rest of the building. For one they were moving, be it slowly and from a position which seemed like they were laying close to the ground and for some bizarre reason, right by one of the radiators. Taking a deep breath he exhaled and quickly searched the rest of the building, taking note of the floor the person was on and quickly working through a route. If the fire crews could get their ladders high enough then they could enter a couple of floors below and make their way up the stairway, they had breathing apparatus that should cope with the smoke for a short time, hopefully long enough to get the person out of there.

"John?"

John answered his com link in his ear, nodding to the fire chief he'd been speaking to as he turned away to speak to Gordon. "Go ahead Op Five."

Quickly relaying his plan to his older brother Gordon explained what he wanted to do, the gas mains still hadn't been shut off but there were hopes that it would be done so shortly.

"We can't wait for that though." Gordon sighed again, he seemed to be doing that a lot recently. "The casualty is still moving, with the smoke in the building they might only have minutes left. We can't take the chance to wait."

"It's a risk going in though," Counteracted John, he was watching the flames licking up at the old brickwork and wondered how long such an old building would last in those conditions. "Is the casualty accessible?"

"If we can enter a couple of floors below we can go up the stairwell, the casualty is in one of the corridors, there's a window along from there but the ladders won't reach and I wouldn't want to risk a drop line from TB2." He to was watching the building now, half the screen heat sensors and the other the view from the windscreen mostly blurred by the rain. "If we can get up there then we could leave by the window on the corridor, I can't tell if the casualty has any other injuries than smoke inhalation but we'd have to take a stab in the dark with it and pray that he's otherwise alright."

"Might be some homeless guy out of luck." John mused, he began making his way through the rain back towards the fire chief to run their plan of action past him. "I'd be willing to bet it's just the smoke inhalation, if he'd got caught in the explosion that caused the blaze then he wouldn't be moving."

"Alright then, let's get them rescued. Sooner we do the sooner we can get back to finding Alan."

"Too right." John took a deep breath, tackling a fire often seemed like diving beneath the ocean, you suddenly appreciated air a hell of a lot more than you ever realized.

* * *

It didn't take long to suit up and run the plan of action past the fire chief, Justice seemed relieved to be having help with the situation even if it were only minor. He'd requested that after the rescue the boys stay to help tackle the blaze but John had tread carefully around his refusal, part of him wanted to be involved just to get his mind off the other rescue needed in their lives, but another part of him was with Gordon and desperately wanted to get away. Also, if they pulled whoever was in the building out alive, they'd need immediate medical attention and getting to the nearest hospital by Thunderbird was pretty damn quick. Lives came before saving a building.

Gordon was going to enter first, thankfully command and control could be run by Brains even though he was thousands of miles away in space, the information relayed in real time meaning his voice through their ear pieces sounded as though he was right there with them, as their father usually was, relaying details and whatever information or problems came their way.

It hadn't taken long to discuss their requirements with the fire crews who had used one of the hydraulic platforms for entry to the burning building, the city had only recently required one of the larger trucks which supported the one hundred and fifty foot extended height of platform, before they'd had a regular one hundred footer, the extra height would take Gordon a couple of floors above his initial proposal but the higher they got the better.

The platform had been adapted to carry a stretcher down so with the folded apparatus strapped to his back along with his oxygen tank he began to climb the ladder, mindful of each foot falling against each rig and which way the smoke pooled from the building below. A few of the lower windows had cracked or broken so smoke billowed up towards him, already he could feel the heat and as he drew closer his vision quickly limited itself. In such situations he was always thankful of the thermal imaging camera on his belt.

Ignoring the camera for the moment he instead withdrew a flat-headed axe which he used to break the window before him, the flat-head and the motion he used - corners one at a time - insured the glass didn't break too unevenly. He was quickly able to remove the majority of the pane allowing himself entry. The rain didn't help, it was just as heavy as ever and made vision difficult, the light in his helmet only went so far, in a strange way he found himself looking forward to getting into the building and out of it.

"I have access."

John was below him, suited up to follow in his stead with an extra oxygen canister for the casualty, he was also equipped with a fire blanket, a small fan in his belt, and a small pick ax which was standard equipment on most missions.

"Following behind." John breathed, his breathing amplified through the close feed as the oxygen clicked in and out with each breath. Gordon knew he'd sound the same yet it still amused him slightly, having Darth Vadar on your team kept up moral.

"You getting this Brains?" He had a video link on the top of his helmet relaying what he saw up to Brains on Thunderbird Five, they'd been using the technology for a while now, it was reassuring to have an extra pair of eyes spotting what you may otherwise have missed.

"Loud and cl..cl… FAB." Brains' voice was sharp and sounded as though he was right besides him, he didn't have the interference of the oxygen though the gentle beeps of the main computer he sat before could be heard over the line. "You're a floor b…below the victim."

Gordon had climbed through the window, he'd put the flat-headed ax back into it's slot on his belt and taken out the thermal imaging camera, a relatively small device with a screen only a few inches wide showing the hallway before him. Turning it on the room turned grey, heat signatures picked out in lighter shades, thankfully nothing white hot as yet but the ceiling was getting there. The casualty should have been along and directly above on the next floor, the radiator he was besides was mirrored by the one on the level Gordon stood, black painted iron, the old type which reminded him of boarding school and museums.

Turning back to the window he nodded to John as he came through besides him, together they slowly edged their way through the corridor, Brains in their ears directing them.

"Right hal…ha… midway down."

The corridor was laid out in a T shape, they'd entered on one of the top points of the letter and now made their way into the centre of the building, passing the elevator. Smoke masked much of their vision, a thick fog moving ghostly through and suffocating the remaining air.

"On your left. Plain do…door."

John came forward with a heat sensor in his hands, a small metal rod attached to a reader which he pressed against the wood. It gave a shrill beep as it read the temperature, opening the door without knowing if there were a blaze on the other side could prove catastrophic - the change in air pressure and temperature could result in a ball of fire bursting at them. He checked the handle, centre of the door and the frame, it only took a few seconds but with each second the fire below spread and the risk of explosion increased.

"We're good to go." He stood back again and let Gordon take the lead, walking slowly and mindfully out into the corridor and turning up the stairs. If the gas did ignite then the blast of fire would immediately head up its clearest route which in this case would be straight up the stairwell. "What's the news on the gas mains, Brains?"

For a moment there was no reply, he must have been checking it himself. "N..no word." He muttered, the annoyance was shared. "Old pipes haven't be… been serviced in a whi… long time. No one knows where t… the main inter… intersection is."

"Ridiculous." Gordon snapped, he stopped as they neared the top of the short flight of stairs to the next level, allowing John ahead again to check the door before him. He knew the fire was below but it was better safe than sorry and fires always seemed to go the way you least wanted them to. "If they don't do something soon they're going to lose half a block of buildings."

"And us." John added solemnly, nodding again for them to continue as he stepped back. "The fire chief said he'd been put through to the military right?"

"Ye… Yes?"

John slowly followed Gordon through, the screen on the thermal imaging device illuminating the concentration on his face. "Can you get some of them down here to deal with it? Surely they've got some kind of leeway?"

"It's not the fact that they won't do it though," Gordon breathed, "It's that they can't find where the damn off button is."

Beeping could be heard from the console up on Five again. "The blueprints for the buil…building are accessible, but all the files are mi…mix… jumbled." They could hear the stress in his voice, he wasn't the only one dealing with the problem but the access being in International Rescue gave you should have made the process quicker, yet right now nothing was going anywhere. "You concentrate on getting out of there a.. ali… in one piece, and I'll try to sor…sort through these. Mind on the job boys."

John and Gordon shared a smirk at the phrase, their father often said it to them and for a second it felt like he were right besides Brains setting the guiding lantern to light their path through the mission and home.

"FAB Brains."

Once they reached the end of the corridor Gordon scanned the thermal imaging device through the smoke before him, it was lighter up here than below but he could still only see a few feet before him, the smoke turning everything into hues of grey. The oxygen in his and John's masked clicked intermittently for a moment as they themselves fell quiet, scouting the area before proceeding and pinpointing the casualty.

Sure enough the thermal imaging picked up the radiator along the corridor and before it slumped a body which shone white and light grey through the small screen. Gordon had thought it strange before but now being there it seemed even more so, the person lay against the radiator which continued to pump heat through the building, their back to it as though cold or not realizing the heat radiating from it. It was a major worry.

John was pulling out the fire blanket before they even reach the person, Gordon too had his mind in autopilot as he prepared the stretcher, snapping it out of it's folded shape.

"Hey buddy. Let's get you out of here." He spoke calmly as he approached.

As they came forward it became apparent that it was a young man, his trainers ash grey from the smoke and his skin equally so, his head hanging unresponsively to one side. John kneeled down, mindful of where the young man's arm rested sprawled out besides him, he removed one of his gloves and gently checked for a pulse, holding his breath as though it would make the feeling more noticeable. He dug his fingers in slightly, moving them further down as he strained for a response, thankful when he struck the blood flow and felt a slow rhythm. He smiled and put the glove back on, always relieved not to have to haul a dead body from a scene, he nodded to Gordon in confirmation.

"Hey pal, can you open your eyes for us?" Gordon reached over, his own gloved hand tilting the young man's head so he could see him properly, Brain's intake of breath was followed by Gordon's more vocal response. "Shit!"

He lurched backwards, the stretcher banging down to the ground loudly. He scrambled for a second before standing, white faced as his heart struggled to give him the increased oxygen he suddenly required. He fell to his knees again and reached forward with his hands, looking at the casualty fully with wide eyes, wondering why he hadn't seen it straight away.

"What is it?" John frowned, edging away himself as his first thoughts turned to there being a needle on scene or something they'd need to be mindful of, perhaps a nastier injury than expected. His heart felt as though it stopped as Gordon finally found the breath to reply.

"It's Alan."

_

* * *

_

BAZINGA!


	15. The Rescue Part One

**A/N I'm a dog person so easily distracted by the likes of Crufts 2011, the worlds biggest dog show. 22,000 dogs, one winner. Ah, dog heaven… unfortunately closely followed by a "quick" trip to the garage for a new tire which basically results in me living of gruel for the next year thanks to needing the whole wheel mechanism replaced. Still need to service, MOT, and tax the damn thing and next year the government have got on the band wagon for the whole equal rights sexism brigade so women will no longer be charged less than men. My thinking on the whole thing is that being young results in high insurance so surely ageism should be tackled? Yeah right! I won't even get onto the subject of ridiculous petrol prices!**  
**Anyhoot. Thanks for being so patient with me, the reviews are so nice to read and get me back on track. I wish I could sit down and get a chapter out over a few hours but I get nit picky and have to read it through a good ten times, even then I seem to miss half the mistakes. Just imagine how bad it would be without my constant checks!**

**I don't own the Thunderbirds, chances are you don't either.**

**(In the last chapter Gordon has just dropped the bomb that it is in fact Alan that they're rescuing from the burning building, the fire fighters are making little progress against the flames. Scott, Virgil and Jeff are still at the police station awaiting news of his disappearance and a grief stricken Taio Zucco is looking to take his hurt and anguish out on Jeff, or more precisely, his sons.)**

"What?" John stepped back, shaking his head as he let the words sink in, it took him a few seconds before he knelt down beside Gordon, gently taking Alan's shoulders in his hands and moving him upright so his head rolled forward, sweat sticking his hair to his head and leaving clean trails as it pooled and ran down his face. "Alan?" His youngest brother's blonde hair had turned ashen colored with the smoke, his skin to had darkened and was marked with the smoke that hung in the air, not just the smoke, as John took him in he noticed blood on the arm that hung limply besides him. "Shit Gordon, is he bleeding?"

Gordon had frozen, his eyes drifting over his only younger brother whose rescue he hadn't even wanted to be on. If he'd had it his way Alan could have died, the guilt crashed down on him as he realized the implications of such a selfish act he'd been so close to committing… if it wasn't for John, no, he didn't want to even thinking about that what ifs.

Blinking past what had already been done he leant across and took Alan's left hand in his own, squeezing gently in the hope of a response which he failed to receive. His eyes unwillingly fell from Alan's face down to where John stared, blood caked the blonde's hand and had run up his arm slightly. Some had dried, mixing with the dirty smoke and leaving black trails on pale skin. "Get the oxygen on him." He muttered, trying to find where Alan had bled from, turning his hand over but finding no injury.

John fumbled with the spare oxygen tank and mask, unraveling the tubes connecting the mask to the small tank on his back he attached the mask to Alan's face, running a hand through the back of his hair as he pulled the elastic behind his ears. His heart thumped in his chest as each second passed, he could hear his own blood pumping in his ears as he tried to distance the fact that it was Alan from his mind. Slowly and carefully he withdrew his hand and after a glance of confirmation held it up for Gordon to see, the smoke and darkness didn't help but the sticky red substance was apparent.

"Possible concussion, might be why he blacked out." He muttered solemnly, once again leaning Alan forwards with an arm he looked at the radiator he'd been leaning on, there was a patch where Alan's head had rested but it was small, the heat and pressure had probably inadvertently helped stop the bleed. "Doesn't tally with what's on his arm though…"

The radio in their ears beeped, for a moment they'd forgotten Brains on the other end. "Ch…check his sto… stom… abdomen."

Brains had worked on the infirmary on the island before Virgil had qualified, Virgil had quickly overtaken the scientist on his medical knowledge and qualifications yet Brains often still worked on them when they received injuries on rescues, it might not have been as good as having one of the two medics on sight but having the eyes and ears would have to do, it was better than nothing.

Lifting Alan's jumper mindful of potential injuries Gordon hissed and almost let it drop back down, sympathy for his brother merging with anger and hate for Taio Zucco. Lifting the jumper higher and shining his light down on the exposed skin John shared the thought, eyes widening as getting Alan out of the building suddenly seemed a lot more complicated.

Blood marred his stomach and the small movement sent a couple of new trails down his skin, the blood itself leaving Alan's body where one of his ribs had broken and punctured through the skin. As he drew in each slow breath - although stronger now John had attached the oxygen mask - they were staggered and hitched slightly as his lungs struggled with the pressure. From their darkened view in the smoky corridor John and Gordon couldn't fully assess how much damage had been done so moving him would have to be slow and as steady as possible. He didn't seem to have punctured a lung but the slightest movement could add to their problems, movement would need to be slow and steady.

"Ok." John wanted to run a hand through his hair but his hand landed half heartedly on his helmet. He withdrew a penlight from his belt, removing his gloves once more he lifted Alan's head and proceeded to check his pupil's responses. "Get the stretcher ready and we can prepare to move him, we can't hang around here too long."

"Firefighters on the gr… ground have kept the f…fire from spreading too much." Now and then a click could be heard on Brain's line as he put their feed on silent so he could speak on the emergency services lines and communicate with the ground, he was relaying the boys progress through so they didn't have to worry about it whilst in the building. It was always easier to deal with someone you knew and understood the meaning behind their words, people always seemed to be saying one thing and meaning another. "Don't move too fa… fa… quickly boys. You've got time, concentrate on Alan, only mo… move him when you're ready."

Gordon nodded to himself as he tried to let the words sink in and continued readying the stretcher, he knew his priority was to bring Alan home in one piece but he couldn't help but worry as to the damage already done, his brother needed proper medical care which he couldn't receive laying in a corridor full of smoke. The firefighters might have been keeping the blaze from spreading but they couldn't prevent the damage it was doing to the structure of the building or the amount of smoke that still found its way upwards and thickened by the second. He knew Brains knew that and was just trying to keep them positive and their minds on what they needed to do but there were too many things to worry about.

Stretcher at the ready he turned back to Alan, coming round to his other side as John fussed over his stomach and muttered to himself as he gently felt along his ribs assessing the damage. "If we move him down so he's flat it'll be the easiest and less damaging movement to get him onto the stretcher." John paused, looking up at Gordon. "How's he on your side?"

Checking his legs first Gordon saw that Alan's ankle setting had been broken, the cast around his foot was hanging off and his foot had twisted awkwardly and lay in a position it should never had known. Moving up his body there was a large swelling on his opposite knee, it felt disjointed but there may have been a small break to worry about, he preferred to think it was disjointed so moved on. Bypassing his brother's stomach he ran his hands gently behind Alan's back and felt along his spine, it felt straight and there were no cuts or swellings that he could feel. "Ankle will need seeing to, definitely done more damage there, his cast is coming off as whatever impact it's absorbed has gone straight through. Knee looks disjointed, don't think it's going to pop back in here though and I couldn't say for sure... Spine feels good."

He moved his hands up to Alan's shoulders and then down the right arm, noticing how it was curled behind Alan and hidden by his body, in the darkness he hadn't noticed. The smoke had worsened and seemed to be gathering in the hallway, the doors were closed so other than going up through the stairwell the smoke had been trapped and had nowhere else to go. Opening any of the doors would speed up the spread of the fire so it was yet another problem they had to cope with.

Carefully maneuvering his brother's arm towards him he was met with resistance and the clang of metal on metal.

"What is it?" John peered over, frowning down following Gordon's eye line. "Broken wrist?"

"Since when are broken wrists metallic?" Gordon failed to hide the stress in his voice or his harsh tone, confusion for a second marred his judgment and he moved the arm again, once more receiving the same clang of metal on metal. "Can you shift him towards you slightly?" Looking up at John he saw him nod shortly and get a firm grip on Alan's belt buckle and left shoulder, in one fluid motion moving him half a foot towards himself. "Thanks John."

He shone his penlight down on the newly exposed area, frowning even more as he realized why Alan had been by the radiator, Alan was, in fact, attached to it.

"He's handcuffed to the damn thing!"

John again leant over in confusion before growling under his breath. He knew he should have come to the conclusion before but he'd been so taken aback by Alan's presence that he hadn't allowed the thought. "Taio must have set the fire. Brains? Does Taio Zucco own this building?"

Both Gordon and John stopped what they were doing, pausing as they waited for a response from Brains, they could hear typing on the end of the line followed by a long pause. "Ye…yes. I should have realized earlier." More typing followed. "He'd kn… know how the ga… gas could be stopped. Prob… probably why we can't do anything.""

"Well isn't that just peachy!" Taking out the small pickax from his kit Gordon took deep breaths trying to calm himself. "No doubt he's vanished again?"

"No trace. I'll run a satellite track on his ce… ce… phone." They'd all be amazed if that showed anything, the guy was as easy to get hold of as it would be to catch the smoke in your hand.

Using the small pickax Gordon slid one end into the part of the handcuff attached to the radiator, his hands were still bare and as he brushed past the cuff he flinched, it was burning hot. He didn't want to dwell on the pain it must have been causing Alan so didn't tell John straight away, instead he levered the ax against the cuff in an attempt of breaking it. "It's not giving." He took a deep breath and put his whole strength into it but still it wouldn't budge, not even a dent in the metal. "Any chance you've got cutters John?"

John disregarded the protocol of equipment care on rescue sites and quickly began emptying his belt and pockets onto the blackened carpet besides him, he couldn't remember picking up any of the cutters on Thunderbird Two when he'd geared up so was hoping that some had been left in his uniform. He mumbled through a list of what he emptied onto the ground - a notepad, a spare torch and penlight, his own pickax and flat headed ax, a short knife, wire cutters, a temperature gauge, other bits and pieces that he couldn't see them needing. He was debating the wire cutters until finally he pulled out the cutters he'd been hoping for, a silent prayer sent it's way upwards as he passed them to Gordon. His younger brother fumbled with them for a moment before they cut through the cuff connecting Alan to the radiator.

"It's cut and burnt into his wrist." Gordon admitted, carefully pulling the hand forward and shining the light down to take a closer look he tried to keep his heartbeat steady so he didn't shake, the more he saw the more angry he became, he knew his anger wouldn't help right now, it could wait till later. "Let's get him out of here."

As they prepared to pull Alan from either side in a steady motion down onto the stretcher he let out a moan, his unhurt wrist and hand moving momentarily as he weakly swatted at his face, trying to remove the oxygen mask. His eyes remained closed but the movement or pain, maybe both, woke him.

"Al?" John paused, begging for more of a reaction from his baby brother, wanting to see the spark in his eyes that would tell him things were going to be fine. Alan always gave you belief, he was hot headed and impulsive but it made him who he was and who they so desperately loved. "It's your two favorite, handsomest, elder brothers, we're going to be moving you ok?"

Gordon smiled at John's poor attempt at humor, gently squeezing one of Alan's hands and wishing he didn't have all the equipment on and that he could whisper reassurances to him as they moved him. "We're the ones who are going to get you out of here. You got that?"

Alan's response was another quiet moan, he moved his head towards Gordon's voice and his eyes cracked only slightly, blinking for a moment before a smile crept to his lips. "'Bout time." 

* * *

Down on the ground Justice was trying his best to keep in control of the situation, the majority of the fire fighters were dowsing the flames they could reach from just within the cordoned area. He didn't want them too close because the risk of explosion was still there, he'd given up trying to find the correct terminal and was now trying to get the entire area's gas link severed. More than one life was at risk now that the operatives from International Rescue had gone in, life always outweighed inconvenience so things had to slow down and be done even more carefully.

Every now and then one of the unexploded canisters who start to scream as the contents heated and threatened to burst through their metal casings, they'd been lucky that those that had already exploded had either done so before arrival when the fire had started or the explosions had been relatively small. Though the unknown aspect loomed as there was no way of telling how much gas each canister contained.

The shell of the car that had been in the centre of the blaze had burnt down to a smoldering heap, the constant shower of water from the hoses of the fire engines had won out against the flames and were trying to reclaim the ground one inch at a time. It was lucky so many crews could be called in, it had seemed useless to even try fighting it at first but with constant effort and dedication the fire had began to shrink.

He wouldn't allow himself a smile just yet though, there was a bigger picture, smiles could wait until the building was clear.

Every now and then his radio buzzed with the connection he had to the Thunderbird's controller up on Thunderbird Five, keeping him informed as to the progress of the rescue and any details the operative on the satellite had traced on the gas terminals for the building. He was relieved to hear that the casualty was still alive but the call that came through shortly afterwards made his heart skip a beat.

It was Jeff Tracy's son, Alan.

He had heard through the cops on the ground that the boy had been kidnapped but not much had been known as to the details other than a hit and run was involved someway or other, he hadn't really paid much mind to it, why would he? He didn't like to speculate over the result in a missing person enquiry, it did no good to presume the worse and did nothing for the moral of his crew.

He'd never paid much mind to the rich and famous, a life was a life and each was equal to another, money didn't buy you a rescue, timing and circumstances of the emergency did. That being said he did feel a larger sense of relief that it was Jeff Tracy's son alive in there, at least for now. He didn't want to think about what a man of such high standing could do to the fire department if he so wished, an investigation would be on the cards anyway, no one wanted a death adding to their worries. Jeff Tracy had money and people in high places, he was known for his strong manner and work tactics.

Justice was thankful not to be the police officer tasked with breaking the news to the man, he was tasked with the job of informing the cops on the ground who had sent word back to the down town station. There was already a pool going around of how quickly the man would be on scene, the option of him not turning up had not even been discussed as the man's love for his sons was common knowledge. His sons followed in his legacy, joining the family business and working closely with their father in all projects undertaken.

For a while Justice had allowed his mind to concentrate back on the blaze before him, for the countless time he wiped the rain from his eyes and blinked up at the building, illuminated by the fire below with the dark contrast of smoke leaving the cracked and shattered lower windows. The gas wasn't the main worry anymore, the structure and integrity of the building was. The heat would be eating away at the support beams and lower foundations, if they fell than the rest of the building was sure to follow.

The International Rescue operative he'd been relaying details through had told him that the men inside the building were on the move and were heading back towards the ladders, because of the casualties injuries they had to move slowly but should soon be beginning their decent. The sooner they were out the sooner Justice felt the fluttering worry in his chest would stop, he'd seen many a death in his time with the fire department but you never became accustomed to it, you couldn't erase the images from your mind or forget how quickly a human life could end. No, the sooner those boys were out of there the better.

* * *

John smiled in pure relief with Gordon as Alan blinked up at them and frowned.

"Didn't keep you waiting too long did we?" As they paused midway along the corridor John spared a hand and ran his fingers down Alan's cheek, mindful of how the oxygen was bringing his brother round and how it would also be bringing a lot of the pain Alan felt to the surface.

Sure enough Alan grimaced as he tried to look up from his flat out position on the stretcher, John lay a firm hand to the teen's shoulder. "Keep still for us Sprout, we'll have you out of here in no time."

Gordon looked away as he spoke into his radio to the emergency services on the ground. They needed to go back down to the floor below and then down the ladder, it was going to be incredibly difficult with Alan in the condition he was in but the ladders were built to carry stretchers and it was the fire crews' job to rescue people from burning buildings, John kept reminding himself that it was easier than it sounded, in most cases it always was but protocol had to be followed and the link to the ground and with command and control had to be constant, it was tough keeping your head in the game when you didn't know the casualty, let alone when the casualty was your baby brother.

The smoke was getting thicker as they moved and the blackness stuck to their uniforms and apparatus creating a dark, dirty layer. Unlike John and Gordon, Alan hadn't been covered in protective clothing, his blonde hair was almost indistinguishable and his skin had turned grey and streaked with blood and the little moisture that still hung in the air, sweat had left trails of pale skin down Alan's face and neck.

"Where's Scott?" Alan asked, concern noted on his tone.

Looking down at his little brother John smiled, the hope and belief of Scott always coming to the rescue was so strong and fierce that he didn't know whether to be envious or proud. Scott had almost raised Alan as his own when his father had been unable to do so himself, the relationship they shared was one of a kind.

"He's on his way with Dad and Virg." His smile wavered, he'd expected there to be relief from the reassurance but Alan's eyes darted away and back again, mind working over something John couldn't fathom. He looked fearful. "What's wrong Sprout?" They'd started moving again but John couldn't tear himself away from the look on his brother's face.

Alan frowned, he seemed confused which could have been down to the lack of oxygen, he blinked owlishly as his eyes continued to water as the smoke stung them. Blinking away the moisture he stared up at John with a fierceness that took him aback.

"He can't come here John, none of them can!" He tried to shift up but the blanket and safety harnesses held him down. His eyes darted to Gordon who was still speaking into his radio, his eyes meeting his red haired brother in fear as he looked back to John. "You've got to send them away John!"

John kept him hand on Alan's shoulder, squeezing as he tried to give what reassurance he could. "Why? They want to be with you and see that you're alright Al, they're worried about you."

Coughing for a moment tears fell down his cheeks, John wasn't sure whether they were actual tears or moisture from the air stinging his brother's eyes but from the wide eyed expression he felt it could have been both. "Taio said he'd bring Dad to his knees and he's going to use us to do it." Eyes met eyes as Alan pleaded. "You've got to send them back to the island John, if they come here Taio will find them... He'll kill them, John."

* * *

Taio smirked to himself as he watched the firefighters tackling the blaze, he was a few hundred meters away in the shadow of one of the surrounding buildings, the cold rain melted down his cheeks as the heat from the fire warmed his skin. The satisfaction was more than he could have hoped for, International Rescue had gone in and there'd been a rush of police not long after. They must have found the body of Alan Tracy.

He was going to let Jeff come to him, it was really all too easy. Jeff and his sons would come running when the police told them the fate of their youngest, they'd be angry and grieving and they wouldn't be prepared for what came next.

One by one Taio would bring them down, like dominos now one was out of the picture the others would fall so easily. Grief still bit so harshly at his own shattered heart but the pieces thudded on, each Tracy he brought down would surely take more of the weight of grief he had been forced to feel alone. He would share the grief, he would pass it on as life passed to death, hand in hand. It hadn't made sense to him before but now everything seemed so impossibly clear, work didn't matter, what mattered was family. Jeff Tracy knew that, Jeff Tracy would come to understand.

* * *

A/N - Sorry this is a shorter chapter, it means you get them quicker... also kind of worked for what's going to happen in the next one ¬_¬  
Let me know what you think of Taio and his dastardly scheme to bring down the Tracy boys, would love to hear what you think!


	16. The Last Reason

Thank you so much for the reviews, they are incredibly appreciated. Sometimes it feels hard to stand along side the amazing fics on here but hearing such kind words keeps a smile on my face and make me feel a little bit better about it! This was meant to be a six chapter fic!

Recap…  
John and Gordon, our International Rescue home boys, receive a call out to a burning office block with a threatening gas leak. The rescue services don't have the man power or time to tackle the blaze, the gas terminals, and to save the life of a trapped victim so require some help rescuing the casualty. If the boys can handle that then they can concentrate on the flames. As irony would have it John and Gordon discover that the victim is in fact Alan, trapped by a man on the point of madness with injuries making it difficult to escape.  
Jeff, Virgil and Scott are at that moment sat inside a police station awaiting news, half the force seems to have vanished to secure the perimeter of a fire downtown leaving a skeleton crew to find their lost blonde. With no news on Taio and progress slow the silence in the station doesn't bode well for their own rescue efforts.

_All that I keep thinking through this whole night, is it could take my whole damn life to make this right._  
_The splintered mast I'm holding on won't save me long, 'cause I know damn well that what I did was wrong._

_Make This Go On Forever - Snow Patrol_  
_(The BBC Frankenstein's Wedding version of this by Andrew Gower is breathtaking)_

* * *

Jeff had received a surprising phone call which had left him somewhat at a loss for what action, if any, he should pursue. He had felt a sense of responsibility yet was unsure as to what he should be doing or whether he should in fact be doing anything at all. He had enough to be worrying about yet it wasn't something he could push to the sidelines to deal with later, something inside of him made the issue important and begged for it to be heard. It felt important.

To Scott's unfaltering disbelief Jeff had finally gone with his gut instinct and picked up his cell once more in order to gain more information on the matter, sitting around hoping Alan would turn up hadn't done them any good and was probably helping send all of them to early graves. Maybe he just needed the distraction, maybe he had felt that pang of fatherly love for someone other than his boys. After all, it wasn't everyday someone flung themselves in front of a car in order to save one of his boys lives. It felt important because it was important.

It was something that should have never happened and yet it had, he was embarrassed that he'd been so quick to write the poor girl's life from his mind, so used to rescue missions where the victims became statistics (because it was so much easier to deal with that way), that he had moved on from the bloodied car park and the images of flashing lights and police tape. Once the emergency vehicles had driven away he had one worry and one worry only, Alan's safety. Tess Zucco had been out of sight and until now, out of mind.

Looking back at the last few hours he realized that the moment the paramedics had loaded Tess into the back of the ambulance with poker player faces and a nod to Jeff, he'd turned away and so easily presumed her dead. With the injuries she's sustained and the blood she'd lost she had seemed little more than a quickly fading organ donor.

The phone call he'd received had come from the hospital, apparently Tess Zucco was awake and asking for them.

The mild shock of the news had taken a while to sink in, it didn't stack up yet working with International Rescue he knew that the impossible often did happen, limits were there to be exceeded and exceptions were always being made. Maybe it was the shock of realizing that the news may have affected Taio Zucco's next course of action, it might have meant the release of Alan. One could always hope.

Jeff waited to be put through to the high dependency ward he'd spoken to minutes prior, he needed to know whether they'd contacted her father and whether she herself had a way of contacting the man. His first thoughts were to how this could help Alan, but the closely followed second thought was that of getting to the hospital himself and being there for the girl that had almost lost her own life in saving Virgil's. He had a chance to say thank you.

The cops were happy to have Jeff and his sons out from under their feet at the station but not too pleased to hear of where they were heading, Scott hadn't been the only one trying to convince his father that right now Tess was stable and didn't need her father's most hated opposition turning up with grapes and well wishes. Grapes and well wishes didn't stop a mad man from trying to destroy your family nor did they protect you from bullets.

Jeff, equally as stubborn as Scott, had ignored the warnings and "friendly advice" he'd been given and had driven himself, a rather quiet Virgil and a muttering Scott to the hospital. If Taio did turn up then he wanted to be there to confront the man and ask him what the hell he was doing, if he wasn't then he felt damn well sure that Tess would appreciate some level of support and not feel so isolated from what was going on around her.

It was no secret that Jeff never liked hospitals, other than the employees who were paid to be there he'd be surprised if anyone did. Hospitals meant illness, disease and death, and although they seemed to be being cleaned around the clock there forever hung a foreboding smell of what he could only attribute to germs and filth waiting to pass on their sickness. The smell didn't help the feeling of unease either, an odd mixture of hospital food and cleaning products mixed together in the air to form a stale thickness that wouldn't budge from your lungs.

Walking through the corridors towards the high dependency ward was a quiet affair, Jeff stuck in his own thoughts of how often he'd been in with the boys in the past years as not just Tracys but as International Rescue operatives, the returning visits were never pleasant.

Scott was brooding with worry for Alan, his cell in a clenched hand which he kept bringing up to his face to check that he hadn't missed any calls or messages and that his battery wasn't about to give up.

Virgil had let his mind wander back at the Tracy Towers underground car park where things had really started to go wrong, the sense of relief of hearing that Tess was alive had been overpowering and he wasn't quite sure he believed it to be true. All the medical training had not prepared him for the things life constantly threw at them, he could read all the medical journals and text books in the world yet he could still be surprised and scared senseless by what he saw. Involvement sometimes wasn't optional.

The hospital was downtown and didn't have nearly as much money going into it as the higher end hospitals they were used to being on the receiving end of medical care at, before they'd even found the ward they were all fairly certain that Taio had no knowledge of his daughters injuries and/or whereabouts else they'd doubt she'd be there. A few of the aging lights lining the corridors flickered intermittently as they passed beneath them and trolleys of abandoned food trays and gurneys stood at the end of wards, stacked up expectantly as they waited to be collected.

It was a relief to finally find the ward and sign in at the nurses station, a clipboard passed between them as names were jotted and signed against. They quickly washed their hands with the antibacterial hand wash by the wide double hinged doors before making their way through the rows of beds, many empty and a couple curtained to prevent curious eyes. The age range in the large open room varied from young adults up to frail grandparents with skin like porcelain that seemed almost transparent.

Jeff swept his gaze from bed to bed with the curiosity that of driving past a car wreck, it felt rude and insincere to look yet he couldn't force his eyes away. The machines and Get Well cards arranged around the patients captured their morbid curiosity and a deep sense of sympathy. A part of Jeff felt relieved that it wasn't Alan laying there staring out at them, he still grasped at the hope that Alan was fine and things would resolve themselves without any more drama than that of which had already played out. Alan would be fine, they'd be jetting back to the island soon enough and all this would all be behind them as an unmentioned memory. He wanted to touch wood, just incase.

Virgil's intake of breath made Jeff look up to where the nurse had stopped, smiling back at them she nodded to Tess's bedside and quietly left them to it. They'd all presumed Tess to be dead, after the trauma her body had endured it seemed almost cruel not to be yet she defied all expectations and sat half propped up looking bleary eyed up at them. Frowning for a moment before something between a smirk and a smile hinted on her lips.

There were wires, so many wires going to and from her skin. She was hooked onto IV lines and her heart monitor displayed steady stats which beeped intermittently, it's steady motion showing just how alive she was. Pale skin peered out between bandages and gaze, blood still smeared her face in places where it had yet to be wiped away. Her stomach was covered thinly in a sheet that failed to hide the wires and blood stained material stemming from where her ribs had broken through her skin. Her short painful breaths showed just how far out of the woods she had to come.

Looking to Virgil, Jeff could see how pale his son had gone, almost matching Tess's ivory skin as she tried to nod a greeting up at them. A breathing tube attached to her nose hissed softly as she breathed in the oxygen, the tubes looping behind each ear and brushing against her skin.

Scott looked equally as shocked, for the first time he seemed to take in the extent of what she'd done for them - at least that was what Jeff hoped. His eldest son stepped round the bed and went to take a hand only to pause and look to her as though asking permission. She nodded and he took it gently, squeezing to show the thanks he couldn't voice aloud.

"We're so glad you're alright." Jeff sighed, realizing the stupidity in his words as she seemed anything but yet relief shading the ridiculous notion.

"Alan?" She breathed, ignoring his well wishes as her eyes shut for a moment as the pain fluctuated, she didn't need reminding of how alive she was, by the looks of things she could feel it more than ever.

Scott shook his head and began to explain what had happened, there wasn't much to tell after the hit and run but he explained what they were doing or at least what they were trying to do. He tried to keep a smile on his face but a frown sent shadows over his eyes as he spoke of the worry and how they had no idea what they should be doing.

Virgil hadn't spoken, locked in a memory he had so many mixed emotions that he was finding hard to express. He felt almost angry at himself for becoming so involved and reacting in such a way, he'd dealt with so many rescues before yet he supposed he'd never had to follow up on the casualties. They were there for the rescues, the job the medical teams did were something entirely different.

He picked up the chart on the end of the best, focusing his mind on medical jargon and terms as he stacked up the damage in his mind. She was so lucky to be alive yet although she obviously wasn't going to admit it but it might not be for long. She was in a queue awaiting surgery, if it didn't happen soon her internal injuries would finish her off. Unfortunately her treatment was dependant on the schedule of the surgeons themselves and who and what came in. From what Virgil could ascertain there must have been someone higher on the list who'd gotten there before her, her body was awaiting to hear whether it would get that chance to live beyond the night.

He sighed, placing the chart back down and standing on her other side opposite Scott, knuckles turning white as he clutched the bed frame. His father's cell rang out against the whispers of the quiet ward and he quickly made an apology and rushed out to take the call, no doubt the nurses would scald him for it. Left alone with Tess and Scott, Virgil tried to steady shook nerves and took a deep breath of what he hoped was calm.

"I'm so sorry. If I wasn't stood there it…"

"Stop." She chuckled dryly waving away his interruption of Scott explaining things, eyeing her chart at the end of the bed before meeting Virgil's gaze once more. "No use crying over it now, it happened and that's all there is." She looked off to where Jeff had exited through the ward, hopeful eyes looking between the two as she hadn't caught the end of Scott's story. "Did you ever catch up with my dad?"

Scott shook his head, growling under his breath as he crossed his arms over himself. "No luck there I'm afraid, we kind of hoped you'd know where he was or where he'd take Alan..." He paused, worrying his lower lip for a moment. "How… I mean, er…" He uncrossed his arms and awkwardly ran a hand through his hair, looking away and back again. "Is Alan going to be ok? He's not going to… do anything too… er… He'll be ok. Right?"

She tore her steady worried gaze from Virgil's and fixed Scott with a firm look, eyes tired and begging for sleep yet the spark still dancing in them. "I have no idea." She looked ashamed, embarrassed, maybe even lost. "The nurses have my things, what little I had on me anyway. It's probably got a lovely blood stained tinge to it but if you get them to release my cell to you maybe you can trace the numbers my dad used to call me on before?" She slowly and somewhat painfully lifted an arm towards a button hanging down by the bed, indicating they should call a nurse over with a nod of the head.

"Did the hospital try to call him in?" Virgil asked, leaning over to push the button and waving a hand to one of the nurses at the end of the room who looked up and began to head over.

"Yeah, try would be the right word for it," she admitted solemnly, "if he doesn't want to be found he's not an easy man to get a hold of, right now he's probably basking in making your dad, and you, wait."

"Hmm." Despite the lack of contact Scott felt a small spark of hope in being able to trace the phone numbers, it was a lead and something to go on whereas before there had been only silence and waiting. He prayed that they could alert Zucco to his daughter's condition, surely when it came to family the man had to show some kind of emotion, she was his own flesh and blood, surely that would mean something? The thought alone made him hesitate, he frowned. "If he thinks you're dead… would he react differently?" He wasn't sure if he'd used the right words but the sad look that flashed across her eyes was one of understanding.

"I know I keep saying it but I really don't know the guy, he's paid for other people to bring me up throughout my life and has gone above and beyond to make sure he doesn't have to spend time with me. I don't know what way you want to look at that, it could be because he actually does care and is still afraid of me being in the country my mother died." She huffed, clearly not believing or agreeing with the idea of it, her accent had grown stronger through perhaps anger or through tiredness. "Or he could not want me in his life because he doesn't want to deal with a kid he didn't want or is a reminder of his dead wife, he might just have paid someone to take that responsibility and reminder away."

For a moment no one spoke, Scott and Virgil were both reminded strongly of Alan and how his feelings of being abandoned had made themselves known over the past year. They knew Alan didn't like being sent away to school and that he desperately wanted to become a Thunderbird and not be the one Tracy left behind, but they had felt he understood their reasoning. He was going along the same route all of them had taken, his schooling and education had to come before joining International Rescue. It had been a given that they'd never voiced, the painful memory of the day realization had dawned after a particularly angry outburst from the youngest Tracy had been dropped like ice cold water over them. Alan had felt left behind in more ways that one, he'd felt like money had been used to hide him away and he knew that his father saw him as a reminder in looks and personality to that of his deceased wife.

Now they saw it from a different view and understood more than ever the pain which Alan must have felt and to an extent must still feel, it added another layer of desperation to getting him back and making him realize how much they needed him. They never wanted to send him away to school but in a way he'd probably never understand they'd done so because they loved him. The island couldn't give him so many things he needed.

Tess's voice broke their reverie. "Can you get my cell from my things?" She asked the nurse who stood expectantly by the bed, a brow raised as she paused to comment. "I'm not going to use it. They're just going to take it with them if that's alright?"

The nurses stern face fell and she smiled softly, her short auburn bounced as she nodded. "Sure thing honey, that's not a problem. How are you for pain meds?"

A flicker of annoyance crossed Tess's face as she waved the question away with her hand. "Fine." It was an obviously lie. She looked down at the bed sheets over her stomach and the area over her legs which looked potted to prevent further damage. "How long till I can go through?" Her voice wavered, it was clear that she wasn't coping as well as she tried to act but she bit her lip and forced a smile to her face and the familiar air of stubbornness she shared with Alan reappeared. "I hate laying in bed all day."

Jeff had received the news he'd both dreaded and hoped - he'd prayed so desperately that they'd find Alan as soon as possible yet had dreaded that his son would be hurt, and at the hands of Taio no doubt, it made him feel physically sick.

Brain's had patched through to him from Five whilst talking to Gordon and John who were no longer on the island but with Alan acting as International Rescue in the burning office complex that all the cops had rushed off to earlier. It was so bitterly ironic how things had played out that Jeff's stomach churned and not just with butterflies but what seemed like whole bats and birds. A foreboding feeling of not knowing where Taio was or what he'd do next didn't sit well and he couldn't help but think that things could get a lot worse before they got better.

He needed to find the man and make sure he knew that his daughter was alive, maybe that would stop him in the path of self destruction he currently trod, like a whirlpool it was pulling in casualties fast and without knowing what was going on inside there was no end in sight.

Thankfully John had given the fire chief the heads up on who they were rescuing and the man had enough sense to alert the police department on site, they in turn had contacted Jeff so he had a reason to be there, it would have been hard to explain how he knew his son was in the building before the police did.

From the hospital it was a twenty minute trip through the traffic to where he would be unable to keep in touch with the rescuers, right then he was a civilian and not a member of International Rescue, he had to sit back and wait like everyone else. Sit back and watch a burning building which now contained three of his sons.

The nurse had asked Scott and Virgil to leave. Tess needed as much rest as she could get before surgery, the paleness of her skin and the blue tinge on her lips did nothing to encourage them when she spoke of how she'd be up and about in no time. Right then she wasn't going anywhere and needed time to recover, worrying her with the news of Alan wouldn't have helped… at least Jeff didn't think so, his mind was juggling so many things that he kept second guessing himself.

With what he hoped was a reassuring smile, a thousand thanks for her actions and well wishes, plus the promise of returning after her surgery, they made a hasty retreat from the hospital. Jeff filled in Scott and Virgil as they made their way out to their waiting car, relaying the conversation he'd had with Brains whilst trying to keep their hopes and positive thoughts up for Alan's sake. Dwelling on what could happen wouldn't help.

With his two eldest sons in tow they reached the scene of the rescue as the storm above finally seemed to be moving off, the rumbles of thunder grew more distant and the lightning flashes less so. It was reassuring to see Thunderbird Two, she had landed in the only area other than the burning building that was cordoned off from the public, both standing tall and imposing against the dark night sky, the Thunderbird as a beacon of hope and the fire that of fear and unknowing. It was encouraging to see Two and to know that Alan knew his family were there for him, but not knowing what was going on inside the blaze at that moment was beyond infuriating. Until they were out and clear Brains was too busy guiding the rescue to be relaying the feed to Jeff, Scott and Virgil, he needed his mind on the job and switching between four feeds - Gordon and John's, the fire chiefs and Jeff - could effect the rescue.

Jeff had been able to get the car pretty close, a flash of his ID and the recognition of the cops had insured them safe passage through the growing onlookers and security guarding the perimeter. The couldn't get too close but from their line behind the fire crews they were able to watch the on going blaze and the torrent of water from the small army of fire trucks battling on.

Someone had called the media, it didn't bear much thought other than that of mild irritation to someone having tipped them off but years of ignoring their incessant comments and questions had made Jeff thick skinned. As they called over and flashed cameras in their direction he didn't pay much attention other to nod to a cop who strode over in the media's general direction to move them further back. No matter how grim a situation looked there was always someone there to make some money out of it, and right now this would be tomorrows headline news. Depending on how far the story could run would depend on the youngest Tracy son and whether he made it out of the building alive.

* * *

Alan kept blinking as pain seared in his eyes causing tears to run down his cheeks creating clean lines against dirty smoke stained skin, clouds of grey which seemed to get thicker by the second enveloped him and his two brothers as they moved on. He was trying to gulp deep breaths through the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth but the air tasted too dry and far too bitter, his lungs scraped against it and struggled to take in more than short staggered gasps. His chest felt as though a heavy weight was being forced against it, holding him down and pressing against his lungs as they restricted their movement.

He knew he'd broken ribs and he could feel the puncture wound where one had worked its way through tissue and skin, it felt oddly cold and wet against his chest and with each breath it seemed to move itself. Each step John and Gordon took - the stretcher held between them as they progressed through the building - Alan could feel his body scream out for the movement to stop.

They were worried enough though, he could see it in their eyes as they shot nervous fidgety glances down at him and sent what he supposed they considered reassuring smiles his way. The worry which shone through their eyes almost doubled the pain, he know it was ridiculous but he felt guilty for causing them such grief when he could have so easily still been on the island. If only he'd stopped pushing the subject of staying on the mainland and had just gone back home, if he'd respected their decision and not questioned how wise going back would have been… If he'd told Virgil how strongly he believed in his medical knowledge and that he didn't need any other doctor to tell him he was alright, if Virgil said he was doing fine then that was all that mattered.

Things came to his mind, worries he hadn't thought or felt before. He felt so selfish and immature, so horribly embarrassed that he'd let them down so vastly and entirely. He was forever begging his father to stop treating him like a kid, but now he felt he understood that he wasn't ready to make the decisions he'd been allowed make, he shouldn't have pushed the issue, he should have shut up and gone home.

A tear fell down his cheek that had nothing to do with the smoke stinging his eyes, he bit his bottom lip as it wavered uncertainly.

"You alright Sprout?" Gordon asked, looking down through the apparatus that covered his face and raising an eyebrow. "We haven't got anyone on the ground to operate Two yet so we've had to head further down the building to get to one of the furthest reaching ladders from the fire trucks."

Alan gave a small nod. "Where's the fire?" His voice croaked, lungs screaming as they protested against the sound.

John frowned down at him but didn't comment on his obvious breathing difficulties, they couldn't do anything about it until they were out. "It's spread through the lower stairwells so it's higher than we would have liked but we've got time, the smoke is going to get thicker as we get through to the window - you going to be ok with that?"

He nodded again, forcing air into his lungs as his heart fluttered. "Why can't Scott operate Two? You said they were on their way…" His heart skipped as he thought of Taio again, eyes widening with the thought of how much danger they could be in if they were on site.

"Relax Alan. Take deep breaths and shut up for a minute." Gordon rolled his eyes, the humor didn't touch his them though. He understood the worry in Alan's words. "They're with the police so perfectly safe, no sign on Taio anywhere so stop fretting. Unless Taio wants to take on half of the cities police force then nothing bad is going to happen to Dad, Scott or Virgil."

John stopped for a moment, the smoke had thickened and knelt with Gordon to lay the stretcher on the ground. "Scott can't exactly waltz up to Two, jump aboard and come save you. People might start asking questions." He turned the handheld thermal camera on and stared intently down at the screen. "Plus we've done such a fine job already."

"Wouldn't want him taking all the credit." Gordon added, kneeling down and checking Alan was secured safely to the board. He rested a hand on his youngest brothers head for a moment and looked down at him lovingly, ruffling his hair before heading off into the smoke whilst speaking into his radio.

Alan didn't have time to worry as to where he'd gone, a moment later the sound of shattering glass and a sudden breeze filled the air and the smoke seemed to clear slightly. It rose upwards and hugged the ceiling which became clear above, his vision expanded to show the corridor they'd come down and the window which lay a few meters ahead. He didn't think he'd ever be so happy to be outside, the fresh air (well, as fresh as inner city air could get) was so close his lungs seemed to scream for it.

"Almost there." John smiled, the happiest Alan had seen him since he'd come to his rescue.

* * *

Taio watched the scene unfolding at the burning building and grew angry, his grasp of control over everything seemed to be slipping more and more. This wasn't meant to happen, he'd set up the whole thing yet here he was watching his plans fall to pieces and the youngest son of Jeff Tracy being rescued. Everything was going wrong, he couldn't think straight anymore!

He didn't want to think about what had led him to where he stood, he didn't want to think about his family or the business empire he'd put every moment of his life into creating. All his mind could focus on was the failure to complete the simple task of killing Alan Tracy, if he did that one thing right then he urgently wanted to believe that somehow things would be ok. That one inch of control would set his mind straight, if he focused then he could do anything he set his mind to and that would be the only proof he needed of his strength and regained power.

He could feel the control he once held so easily ebbing away by the hour, as the dark clouds overhead cleared and the rain stopped it felt that even nature itself were against him. The sounds of people clapping and cheering as the rescuers left the building filled the night air with the smells of smoke and the crispness of cold water poured onto flames.

Jeff Tracy had the whole world on his side, even the forces of International Rescue in their mighty Thunderbirds could spare time for the man. In a world where you had to shout and scream to be heard Jeff only had to enter a room to receive recognition and fame. Lucille Tracy's death had probably helped, the publicity and public sympathy had been overwhelming and the grief the man had felt had been so very public. Throwing himself into work whilst the world questioned how he coped and then reverting back to a seemingly flawless family man… clever. Very clever.

Taio had given everything in his life to building up his business and reputation, including the life of a lost daughter. He'd lost her a long time before the morons sent to snatch Alan had struck her down, all she had known of the man had been what she'd read and the rumors that forever circled. It hadn't meant to be like that, he'd wanted what Jeff Tracy had achieved so easily, he'd tried and he'd been felled at every post. He'd resorted to hiring criminals and making darkened deals which asked no questions of either side, he'd played the game and he'd been good at it yet here he was, still looking up from the gutter at a man who stood above the rest. A man who was so pristine and forever played by the rules, he seemed almost God like in the world's eyes. It just wasn't right nor fair.

Stumbling away from the scene Taio headed away into the darkness of alleyways, things couldn't end there, that wasn't how Taio Zucco's life went! He didn't fail! If he needed to kill Alan Tracy by his own two hands to prove that then that would damn well be it, failure would not end him nor would Jeff Tracy's optimistic look on life. Death ended everything and if that's what it took to really bring Jeff down then he wouldn't stop at Alan, he'd bring the whole lot of them down.

Jeff had once quoted some rubbish to him about the pen being mightier than the sword. Huh. He'd damn well like to see that pen save him from a bullet to the head. Things had never been so personal.

* * *

Reviews will make me feel loved which in turn makes fingers type on keys, your reviews are always and forever appreciated.  
Side note - Do Americans call mobiles a cell when speaking of their phone? I'm not sure if I put a few English phrases/sayings in here so apologies for any confusion… I'm pretty sure most people say "touch wood"?  
The lateness of the chapter? Life. Lemons. Bad lemonade. Writers block. University.


	17. It's Beginning To Get To Me

**I will explain my lateness at the end of the chapter, it wasn't intentional.**

**On a side note - I was going through the Thunderbirds 2004 movie quotes for something that comes up later in this chapter - you might spot it, you might not, when I noticed a link to the actor**

**Soren Fulton's info page on IMDb. Soren Fulton played Fermat in the TB movie and wow… check out his photo. Fermat's gone and grown up! If you liked the actor who played Alan... His picture looks a bit like a rehab clinic shot. Just saying.**

Disclaimer - I own nothing to do with the Thunderbirds. Unless you count a Fairy Liquid bottle that could possible be transformed into Tracy Island… then again the idea probably belongs to Blue Peter. 

"It's like taking me to the highest mountain, showing me the world, and saying "This is what you can't have""

Gordon knew it was too early to celebrate but he couldn't help but let a small smile tug at his lips, Alan was out of the building and being loaded into an ambulance which would shortly be heading to safety. John was running through the injuries they knew and suspected Alan had along with the smoke inhalation and how long they thought he'd been inside the building, it took less than a minute to get the paramedics up to speed and before they knew it they were being ushered away and back towards the still blazing building.

As the doors of the ambulance began to close it took every ounce of strength Gordon had to stop himself jumping through them to be with his baby brother, he didn't care if it gave the game away as to who they were, all that mattered in that moment were those baby blue tear filled eyes which stared pleadingly after him.

"Has his father not arrived on site yet?" John managed to stop Gordon's near actions in that short series of words, the tone in his voice saying more to Gordon about his brother's shared thoughts of leaving Allie alone than anyone outside of the family could possibly know. Their father had to be there with Alan, if he wasn't then it would be one of them. Family would always come first and right then and there it looked like International Rescue was about to become a whole lot more public.

The paramedic who was closing the doors stopped, looking between Alan and his brothers. "I checked a few minutes ago before you'd left the building, no one had heard anything, the ground crews are tripping over themselves trying to get some control on the fire so it's not top of their to do list…" His gaze was on Alan whose bottom lip was quivering, which coming from a teenager of his age was worrying considering they'd be dealing with it alone. "Want me to check again?" He looked to Gordon and John but Alan answered.

"I want my dad." His eyes stared past the paramedic, past John and even past Gordon who besides Scott, he would tell anything to. Looking out towards the burning building and the wavering crowds that rushed back and forth, eyes searching for that last glimmer of hope.

He looked so young, so much like the youngest Tracy they'd grown up with and had forever treated as their baby. Somewhere along the line he'd hardened his attitude and his temper had become short and fiery, but beneath that tough protective shell he was still only fourteen and still in need of the reassurance of his dad. Alan let out a short sniff as he looked their way, teary eyed and confused as with a tired sigh he let his head sag back down onto the stretcher, eyes closing tightly as he tried to pull himself together. It was obvious that he was in pain but more obvious that he didn't want to be alone to deal with it.

"Check again." John's voice had hardened, battling against his own emotions as it suddenly became clear that even if Jeff did turn up, Gordon and John would have to turn their backs and walk away. There was still the fire to deal with and still the risk of a gas explosion, the mission was not yet over. As long as lives were at risk their job was to protect, serve and save.

The paramedic shrugged. "We need to get him to a hospital as soon as, I can't keep hanging on risking his health like this." He caught the glare Gordon sent his way and sighed loudly, speaking into his radio with curious eyes looking Gordon and John up and down as he listened to the static awaiting a reply. The man turned away as someone intermittently, he was looking red faced and look stressed, striding off in conversation signaling with a wave of a had that he'd be a minute. With the mention of Jeff Tracy's name things suddenly became more important, it was a fact that shouldn't have existed but right now it gave them time.

It was incredibly difficult to just stand there and not jump up into the ambulance besides Alan, to take his hand and tell him they wouldn't leave his side, to take off the helmets which concealed their identities and deal with the outcome later. Difficult wasn't the right word for it, it was near impossible.

"Where the hell is Dad?" Gordon muttered, aware that Brains could hear him up in Five as well as John, hoping someone would come up with an answer. "If he doesn't turn up in the next thirty seconds I'm hopping in that ambulance, damned if I care what happens."

"He'll be here." John desperately wanted to believe his own words but niggling doubt edged them, he knew they already looked suspicious just standing outside the ambulance doors whilst fire crews rushed to and from the blaze. They were brought in to rescue a civilian which they had done, mission complete. From here on out they should have turned from the ambulance and offered what help they could to the men on the ground. They were sitting ducks for the media's attention and difficult questions from those around, how long had it been? Three? Four minutes?

"He… he's on site." Brains was as concerned as they were as he typed through the computer systems and brought up various news coverage from the area. "I just… I can't find him th… though."

Finally the paramedic turned back and his eyes showed only the frustration of a waste effort, he shook his head and without word shut the ambulance doors. The panic in Alan's eyes was the final straw. Words forming on quivering lips cut off.

"Wait." Gordon sighed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath for the end of life as they knew it. He'd never considered doing it so publicly. Hell! He'd never considered revealing his identity, at least not to the public. His mind had often drifted to girlfriends and what their reactions would be but it had never been a serious thought and had never involved being on a rescue. There were cameras everywhere - this would make careers and steal headlines all over the world. Yet it could all be over in just a few simple words.

"Stop!"

As one the three men turned, all sharing looks of confusion as someone bustled past the police line followed by two others close behind. Gordon's relief was instant, like a bucket of water had been drenched over him everything changed. Situation averted.

John had "Dad!" on the tip of his tongue as he pulled himself back from jumping into his arms and embracing the man, he had never been so happy to see him in his life and it took all his willpower to not show it.

"Mr. Tracy?" The paramedic asked, eyeing Scott and Virgil who were only a few meters behind looking like they'd run a marathon, red faced with worry shining through their eyes as they looked from Gordon and John to the ambulance as they figured out what was going on. "Can I see some ID?"

Like his face hadn't been plastered all over newspapers his entire career, like his life as an astronaut and entrepreneur counted for nothing. The situation had been averted in the very last seconds making the notion of ID seem hilarious to both John and Gordon, they couldn't stop the grins that took over thankfully under the cover of their helmets. They nodded to their two brothers and father as they allowed themselves to finally move away with the knowledge that Alan would be safe and well. Later they'd look back at that moment with regret.

"Cutting it close, Mr. Tracy." Gordon grinned, wishing he could share just a few seconds with his family, his face uncovered to show just how grateful he was for their arrival. Hugs were being put on standby.

Jeff smiled in relief at Gordon but shot the paramedic a look of annoyance, pulling out his wallet and holding up the rarely used ID for him to see. "We've just been stopped by about twenty cops all wanting to see proof of identity despite the fact that we've been sat in the police station with half of them before this even happened. I swear, if one more person asks me for ID…"

"That's fine Mr. Tracy." The paramedic clearly understood the anger in Jeff's voice and backed away to the ambulance, unlocking the door and letting Jeff and his two sons clamber aboard after him. Alan's eyes lighting up like all his Christmases had come at once. "Er… we're not meant to carry more than…"

"Deal with it." Jeff barked, eyes narrowing as he locked the paramedic in his sight until the man pitifully gave in almost immediately, putting his hands up in defeat and shrugging.

Jeff turned back outside towards the two Thunderbirds operatives, finally allowing the seriousness to wash temporarily from his features as he nodded and somehow managed to find both their eyes and share a knowing gaze. "Thank you for saving my son. Words cannot express how grateful I am or how greatly appreciated your lives and work are to me and my family."

Scott and Virgil nodded in agreement and respect, Scott having regained his breath jumped from the ambulance and forward, eagerly embracing both International Rescue operatives in a back breaking bear hug, whispering only so they could hear. "As soon as we heard you were there with Alan, we knew he'd be ok."

"It's what we do." Gordon replied loud enough that it didn't matter who heard, "And you take care of your boy, you hear? We'd stay to go through everything but right now we've got more work to be getting on with."

"Where there's smoke…" Muttered John, backing away once more and waving a hand in the air as they both left to return to the burning office block.

"…There's smores." Gordon sighed as he followed his older brother. "Or International Rescue operatives with singed eyebrows."

Jeff hopped into the ambulance with more vigor than a man half his age, it was amazing what adrenaline did for you when the life of one of your own sons was on the line. Scott and Virgil followed behind and immediately they were all overcrowding Alan and jostling for space, the paramedic got in behind them and let out a long, very loud sigh.

Right now Jeff didn't care how overprotective they looked, was it even possible to be overprotective when your son had just been saved from death? He wanted to pick Alan up in his arms and squeeze him so hard that he knew just how much he was loved by his father, he wanted to tell him over and over and to promise him that he'd never allow anything to endanger his life again.

The smile soon left his face as he looked down at the smoke marked face of Alan, tear stains leaving tracks down his skin and welling in his red eyes as he looked tiredly up at them all. The boisterous teenager they knew and loved looked broken, tired, and lost.

Gordon and John could not have empathized through any amount of words how bad things were, maybe it was better that they hadn't said, maybe having Alan back should have been enough but the rejoice in hearing he was out of the building and still alive was replaced by a sickening anger that curdled in his stomach and made him bite his tongue to stop the out poor of anguish that was sure to come.

Virgil looked down at Alan with a smile and had managed to keep it, he'd seen awful injuries on casualties and they'd dealt with fire victims before. Alan obviously had been hurt before the blaze but there were still those baby blue eyes of familiarity gazing up to meet Virgil's gaze. He felt like he'd let the kid down but he knew how to handle being around a patient and right now he had the opportunity to help the kid, he would let his own anger surface later.

"Hey sprout." He cooed, realizing how stupid he sounded yet knowing if anything it would make Alan smile. "Looking good."

"I look like a raccoon." He sounded so tired but he gave a small smile as tears silently made their way down his face, they could have been caused by the smoke or emotions, it was hard to tell.

"Or a chimney sweep." Scott helpfully added, finding Alan's hand and squeezing reassuringly. "Though it looks like you substituted the brushes for your hair."

"Well you know me. Always got to do things that bit differently."

The paramedic bustled in between them, he'd already connected an IV line and now set about tuning the monitors and checking Alan over. The ambulance lurched forward and it didn't take very long for them to understand why there was a recommended weight allowance, ambulances didn't have great suspension in the best of times and every bump and jostled was felt.

Alan hissed as they made their way out of the area, slowing for road bumps that marred the road leading to the intersection. He wanted to let his eyes droop and sleep take over yet he couldn't bring about energy to tear his eyes away from his family, his thoughts were mixing themselves up in his mind and things he felt sure were once important to tell them drifted away in a haze. He frowned, trying to formulate words and connect them to memories.

"Dad?"

"Right here Alan." Jeff took his youngest son's hand, squeezing in reassurance as he bit his lip and smiled down, noting the frown on his face. "What is it?"

"I…" He paused and looked between his two brothers who watched over him from the bench that ran along the opposite wall, it was a cramped space with so many people yet they swirled in his vision as though they were far away. "There was something I had to tell you… I just can't remember what it was." He bit his lip, cursing his eyes that kept leaking tears down his face, he wanted to rub them away with a hand or arm but the energy for such a small motion felt titanic in proportions. His whole body felt heavy and as the drugs entered his system he felt increasingly numb.

Scott leaned over as the paramedic as he sat back down, jotting down notes the hospital would need and keeping an eye on the IV. "Don't worry about it Sprout, forgetfulness comes with age."

"And Scott would know." Virgil added. "One day he'll forget the black rinse and we'll be able to count the grey hairs and know how old he really is."

Alan knew they were trying to cheer him up, or at least make him feel marginally better, but the ease of their conversation was unsettling and he wondered how messed up he looked in their eyes, a joke about Scott's age never went down well on a normal day. He rolled his eyes at them and went back to what he wanted to say only to find that it wasn't there anymore, black spots were disrupting his sight and his body felt suddenly heavier and even more unresponsive.

"How long till we get to the hospital?" Jeff asked the paramedic letting go of Alan's hand for a moment as he ran a hand over his eyes and rubbed his temples. He finally seemed to take the man in, his round frame and face, mousy blonde hair balding slightly and small eyes which darted between the instruments in the back of the ambulance. His name tag read Paul though he didn't look much like a Paul, his surname was Daniels which was more adapt to the man. If it took a magician to get Jeff's youngest son to the hospital in as good health as they could hope then so be it.

"Not long now, a few minutes maybe." Daniels gave Jeff a reassuring smile, tapping the clipboard before him with a pen. "The doctors are on standby to take Alan straight in, they know we're coming so there'll be no more delays."

"Dad?" Alan tried to reach out but he found he couldn't see the hand he was reaching for any more, the black spots swaying across his vision had taken over and everything felt like it was spinning around him. Was he moving his arm? He couldn't tell. Did it hurt?  
"Dad?"

Jeff had hold of Alan's hand only a few moments after letting go but Alan's finger twitched and his eyes gazed unseeingly across the ambulance. "I'm right here Alan, we're nearly there." He looked up again at the paramedic with worry, ignoring the comment about delays and wishing those few minutes could be transformed into seconds.

Daniels didn't hold Jeff's gaze, he was focused on one of the machines hooked up to Alan that had begun beeping softly. It wasn't a loud beep but it's speed had increased from the intermittent one he'd felt happier about. He stood and stepped forward as the ambulance seemed to bounce around a corner, used to almost surfing along with the motion as he steadied himself and shone a penlight into Alan's unseeing eyes.

"Can you hear me Alan?"

It took a few agonizingly long seconds for a response but eventually it came. "Ye… Yeah."

The kid was breathing as though struggling to get enough air, his eye's dilated as though his body were lacking enough oxygen to keep conscious. Clear signs of the effects of smoke inhalation were surfacing, their delayed response probably in reaction to the shock Alan's body had been through. Probably. There were other facts to consider.

"I'm going to get you some oxygen, ok? It'll help your breathing, it'll feel a bit strange at first but I want you to try and take some deep, slow breaths for me. Ok kiddo?"

It took another few seconds but Alan's lips twitched into a small smile of understanding, the grimace that followed taking over quickly and easily between the staggered short breaths he wheezed in and out, chest shuddering against the intake.

"What's going on?" Jeff asked, trying to hide the rising panic in his voice as Alan's health appeared to quickly decline before his eyes. Scott had a hand clenched tightly on his father's shoulder whilst Virgil looked ready to jump in and take over Alan's care, it took every ounce of his will power and self restraint to remain seated and to let the man do his job.

"He's having problems taking in oxygen which would signify the damage the smoke may have made on his lungs, it may and most probably will be just be temporary, but we'll know more when we reach the hospital." Daniels paused as he ran the air tubes round Alan's ears and under his nose, a gentle stream of oxygen hissing softly as he turned the nozzle of the gas cylinder on. "Ok Alan, deep slow breaths now. Count to five as you breath in, and five as you breath out."

It wasn't just Alan's eye's that seemed to be losing focus, his hearing seemed warped, as though he were in a long tunnel and someone at the far end were speaking incredibly slowly to him. Odd words drifted through but the meaning was lost. "Five… five…" Five what? He wanted to show his frustration, shout out to them that they weren't making sense, but his body didn't want to respond. He felt like if he really tried maybe he could evoke a response but the effort seemed so gastronomical and vast that it didn't seem worth it. It could be five coconuts for all the good it would do him now, the cozy warped bubble which surrounded him drew Alan in and pulled him beneath its dark and warm embrace. He could sleep for five minutes, that seemed awfully appealing…

"Alan? Open your eyes for me." Daniels lifted the boy's eyelids and once more shone the penlight at his pupils, the response was minimal and if he wasn't mistaken there was a hint of redness in the whites. He took the boy's hand from Jeff and held it for a moment. "Alan, if you can hear me can you squeeze my hand?" He waited. "Alan. Wiggle those fingers for me."

"What's happening?" Scott asked, he'd gone white faced and an empty feeling had taken over in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't often he had little to no control over a situation, he wasn't sure whether Alan losing consciousness was a good or a bad thing - afterall, the sprout had seemed so damn tired.

"Lack of oxygen." Virgil muttered, chewing his bottom lip and he stared at Daniels.

Jeff looked between them feeling as lost as Scott. "What's happening? Why aren't you doing anything?"

Daniels repressed yet another sigh, he knew they were there because they loved the boy probably more than their own lives yet having so many people in such a cramped space wasn't helping and wasn't making Alan's treatment any easier. He had the keep the kid stable and ready to be moved into the hospital, there wasn't enough room in the ambulance to do anything that would help enough to make a different.

Thankfully the ambulance had begun to slow and Daniels felt each road bump on the road he knew all too well.

"We're pulling into to the hospital now, let the medical teams do their jobs. Stand back and your son… and brother," he gave Scott and Virgil a hard look, "will have the best chance possible. I can't tell you his full injuries as I don't have the means to know from the limited resources in the ambulance, but what I do know tells me that he's inhaled a lot of smoke and before anything can be done about his other injuries, the inhalation will be the emergency team's top priority." Daniels turned the oxygen up as he spoke, lifting the canister and laying it gently and carefully at the side of the bed Alan lay on.

"What can we do?" Jeff asked, glad for any job that would make him feel even marginally in control.

"You can stand back, stand strong and band together." Daniels patter Jeff on the shoulder and gave the most honest smile he'd given that evening. "Worrying never did any good to anyone, it's hope and prayers which bring people through."

The ambulance shuddered round and drew to a stop, the doors flying open as the whole world seemed to suddenly open to them. Alan was immediately being pulled out and away from them, Daniels jumping down and beginning his commentary as he followed the team of waiting medical staff into the building awaiting them.

Taio stood in the shadows of the hospital smoking shelter which was located just outside the grounds, he wasn't one for cigarettes as he preferred cigars but right now his hand was clenched around an pack of lights, half already smoked and the rest slowly crumpling as he flexed his fist around the packet. He needed the distraction, be it small. He needed to do something with his hands to stop himself marching up to Jeff Tracy and trying to squeeze the life out of him.

Taio knew he was losing it, he wasn't stupid he just didn't know what to do about the fact that his mind felt as though it was burning. Things had started spiraling and his grip on right and wrong had tilted even further than ever, he'd lost what was left of his family and the irony was that he'd lost her to the one thing he'd been trying to protect her from the most. Himself.

All of this was his own doing, everything around him was continuing to crash around because of things that were his own doing. If Alan Tracy hadn't told them already then they would soon find out, the fire and the attempted murder was Taio's doing. Thirty six missed called on his cell suggested that maybe he should have left the country by now, messages of warning and pleas for him to either run or stop whatever he was thinking were being pleaded through phone lines.

Well, he was going to either end up dead or in jail anyway so he figured he might as well continue on his crusade. At least before the security at the hospital caught up to speed and made it impossible for him to finish his task.

_

**So… yeah. This isn't abandoned, I'm just incredibly busy, sometimes there will be delays and sometimes there won't - Life. I'm better working in the winter as during the Spring-Summer I'm busy at shows and have to keep up with commissions. **  
**Thanks for the emails and messages asking where I was/what was happening, I'm glad you like the fic enough to feel the need to remind me that it's here lol! It's my first full length fic and I never even stopped to consider how long it would actually take, I have so many other users' fics to catch up on and read but thought I'd best get this done first.**  
**Reviews do make me faster, if I didn't get any I'm not sure whether I'd have continued or not.  
I'll start the next chapter tonight! What dastardly deeds will befall out beloved Tracys next...**


	18. Hope Is Here

**I've been gone little under a year, the full reasoning is on my profile page but the short version is that last summer was horrible. I'm back now thanks to insistent messages and reviews asking for this to be completed, the power of the people! **  
**If you haven't read since last year then I'd recommend you re-read the whole thing, that way we will hopefully all be on the same page and it gives you ample opportunity to leave more reviews… hem. I had to go through a couple of times as I had no idea, you probably wouldn't believe me if I said this fic was originally meant to be around three chapters long.**

Here's a recap of what's happened so far:  
_Taio Zucco targeted the youngest Tracy son after Jeff refused to deal with his company, after a failed kidnapped attempt Alan was left injured and returned to the mainland for a hospital visit. Alan couldn't remember the kidnap and as his family wouldn't enlighten him he snuck off to meet Tess, Taio's daughter who Alan remembered seeing at the party where the incident occurred. Luckily Tess did not get along with her father and got Alan safely back to his family, offering to help track her father down and supply all the information she could. As Alan had messed up his last hospital visit they planned to return to get him checked over, only for him to be kidnapped in the underground car park of Tracy Enterprises, running Tess over as she pushed Virgil from path of the speeding vehicle. Tess was left in a critical state whilst Alan was taken to Taio. Taio beat Alan ten shades of black and blue, leaving him for dead in a burning building. In fly the Thunderbirds saving the day, pulling Alan out in the nick of time and leaving him with him family to get to hospital. The Thunderbirds continue to tackle the blazing building whilst Scott, Jeff and Virgil rush to the hospital to be by Alan's side. Taio thinks his daughter is dead and is still at large._

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It had taken time yet Justice Collins had received the news he'd been waiting for, the gas was being shut off imminently. Of course imminently wasn't the same as immediately, although there was that small triumph there was also the over hanging concern of how long it would be and if the gas would be shut off before the heat of the fire caused a build up, or if the remaining gas canisters in the parking lot in the basement of the building exploded.

He'd returned to the recently set up command center he'd been trying to keep track of, the radio in his helmet ran a constant feed yet keeping up the concentration to pick out multiple voices all trying to be heard over one another whilst organizing men and equipment was definitely not the easiest task. He took his helmet off for a moment, letting the sweat that had been collecting on his brow run down his face as he wiped a hand through his now sweat matted hair, it wasn't just the heat causing the perspiration, stress had a lot to do with it.

Replacing the helmet which was now slightly marred by smoke and debris which floated from the sky - mostly office papers, anything the wind and force of the fire had caught in its updrafts, Justice took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Listening in as his team strategized as to the movement of the flames and heat and how best to tackle it and predict it's next move, he felt pride yet worry as though they were all his own kids. Trained under him and brought up in the ranks to someday take his place, he could relate to Jeff Tracy in the worry he held each and every time one of his own was out of eyeshot.

He'd glanced over from the blaze as the kid had been taken from the building and gently lifted on a stretcher down to the ground, the two International Rescue operatives fast paced but incredibly precise and careful which each move they made. The rescue had been quick and flawless, one of their men - a man with a stutter and some choice language when it came to questioning the cause of the blaze - had kept the fire command centre in the loop and had shared information on the movement of the fire. Between them they'd made progress and were now in a position to work together without walking over one another.

The cops weren't as helpful, they stood behind the line and kept the public back as they should yet like dazed tourists many of them just stood gawking and there was the constant barrage of questions. To be fair there were some decent guys out there doing one hell of a job but between them the idiots let their side down, making the call out seem like a work picnic where the donuts would soon be brought out and they'd get together for photos and gossip exchanges. No. He'd never been a fan of the down town police department.

The International Rescue operatives were beyond question amazing, he admired them with a fierce passion that he couldn't explain. Sure he'd seen some horrible scenes in his lifetime, some images he would never be able to shake, but he put fires out and went home to his regular life with his regular family. No one knew who the International Rescue operatives were, and they didn't just turn up at fires, they turned up wherever they were needed. That wasn't just the city, that was the entire world!

And after all of that they couldn't even go home to their families and talk over their day because the secret of their identities was paramount - nothing about that was regular.

The proud feeling that thudded with each resounding beat of his heart rang true of the one thing he knew for certain - those boys were American and if being American had taught him one thing in his life, it was how to be damn proud of your nation and honored to be apart of it.

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It was a problem but it was one he'd enjoy working around, in his line of work problems were an every day occurrence that proved mere stepping stones to the overall goal. Today's problem seemed slightly more proportionate than most; getting past the security in a hospital that had been warned of your possible presence - not easy. Time was ticking away which Taio knew would mean the arrival of more cops and security to guard the prodigal son and his family, if he was going to make a move then he had to think and act fast.

His mind was still whirling through a jumble of plans as he strode across the car park, stamping out his last cigarette and heading across towards one of the smaller and older hospital buildings which was connected to the main structure by a later extension.

The hospital itself was a mismatch of history brought forward in time by large black chimneys and whirling electrical outlets and heaters, bold and bright signs seemed to overwhelm the walls with directions and names of wards and specialists every which way. Even though Taio was outside he had a sense of the smell that seemed constantly associated with such medical buildings, disinfectant and the potent stench of canteen food gave off a stomach twisting stench.

As he drew further away from the largest part of the hospital which enclosed the emergency entrance it was clear that the security from the area, if any, had been moved. No one stopped him or questioned his direction as he strolled into the grey bricked staff entrance, past the desk where a plump middle aged woman sat hunched over a trashy magazine, and easily through into a large locker room.

It was almost too easy.

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"We've got security posted on all the main entrances and exits, Mr. Tracy. Anyone entering or leaving will be checked and no unknown personnel will be allowed within a hundred feet of you or your family."

Troy Chanel wouldn't admit it to the imposing figure of a billionaire before him but he was enjoying his job as head of security. Since leaving his security job at a mall in LA he'd questioned his actions, at the time it had seemed a step up in the ladder of employment and admittedly he'd watch way too many episodes of ER, but since arriving at the hospital the most excitement he'd had was removing drunks and drug addicts to free up beds. It wasn't the kind of excitement he'd imagined and most of his days had been spent monitoring colorless security footage whilst eating fast food and gaining a few pounds.

At nearly seven foot tall and weighing more than the doctors told him was healthy, Troy was an imposing figure. He'd emigrated from Nigeria as a child and although he'd never fulfilled his mother's wish of becoming a medical professional himself, he'd taken pride in the fact that she was happy with where he'd ended up. It was a disjointed route into the medical world but he was there.

His attention was currently on the man before him who was flanked by two of his sons, standing more than a foot shorter but looking every bit as imposing as he'd imagined and heard, Jeff Tracy was creating more than a little bit of excitement in the ER, a face that didn't go by unnoticed.

"If you'd follow me to one of the family rooms you've been assigned I'm sure we can talk further as to your requirements, but I'd suggest that this is not the best place to do so right now."

Troy smiled and beckoned for Jeff and his sons to follow, the rest of the room had gone eerily silent since the Tracy's arrival, they sat in wide eyed awe as the famed billionaire ran a hand through his thinning hair. A couple of people had strategically placed camera phones and seemed to be drawing more attention to themselves by trying to look inconspicuous, especially a man with gaze wrapped heavily round an obviously broken arm - trying to look blasé whilst his white knuckles gripped the phone shakily and his teeth shone white as he clenched them in obvious pain.

Jeff sighed loudly and gave a week smile, following Troy and giving a nod to the people he passed as they left the waiting room and headed down a long white corridor.

"Will I be able to speak with someone regarding my son's condition?" He questioned, wiping a hand down his face as though rubbing away the effects of lost sleep. It didn't have the desired effect.

"Yes Mr Tracy, I'll find Alan's doctor as soon as we get you situated in the family room. I can't answer specific questions but if you need anything please let me know and I'll do my best to accommodate you. I am unaware of the situation that landed your son here, but I do know that hospitals are not welcome places for most who pass through the doors."

Troy tried to smile sympathetically, leading the small group through white corridors and up a floor to the room the Tracy's had been assigned. There'd apparently been celebrities at the hospital before but they were minor in comparison and Troy had yet to run into any, he was unsure whether he was supposed to be extra polite or to just treat the billionaire as he would anybody else.

"It's just through here Sir, if you leave the room and turn left there's vending machines at the end of the corridor through the double doors, there's also a canteen upstairs, just follow the signs if you need it. Toilets are back out by the elevators".

Jeff looked around the fluorescently lit room, taking in the small couches and small coffee machine which stood on a table along the opposite wall. One window looked out into the dawn sky, but curtains with bright patterns had been pulled obscuring the view.

Scott stood in the doorway but Virgil seemed to stagger in, collapsing on a couch and letting his head loll back whilst his eyes shut against the brightness.

"Thanks." Jeff muttered, squinting at the man's name badge. "Thanks Troy, if you could get someone to tell us what's happening with Alan I'm sure we'd be much relieved. Do you know if he's in surgery?"

"I'm sorry Mr Tracy, I don't know. Give me a few minutes to track down the doctor, try and make yourself as comfortable as you can until then."

Jeff nodding and the man left, letting the door shut gently as Scott finally came in from the doorway, unhappy at not having a clear view of anyone coming or going.

They didn't have to wait long though, soon there was a gentle knock on the door and a grey haired man came through. He smiled warmly and held out a hand to each Tracy in turn.

"Doctor Mark Goodman, but please call me Mark. I have been treating Alan for the injuries he was brought in with. Would you like to sit so we can discuss Alan's health?"

He was a tall man, possibly in his mid to late sixties though his eyes seemed much older. He sat on the couch opposite the three men, fingers arched.

"Is he in surgery?" Scott asked his father's previous questioned to Troy, chewing his lower lip worriedly. "He's ok, isn't he?"

"Scott, isn't it? Alan is out of surgery and in recovery at the moment, hopefully we can transfer him to a private room within the next hour so you can visit him. He's suffered a number of injuries so will be on quite a lot of pain relief, he may appear a bit out of character and he will be very lethargic."

"What were his injuries?" Virgil asked quietly, he was still looking white faced and tired, his usual medical interest had stepped back and he was riding the flow with his family. Before what had happened he would have been firing twenty questions a minute with a keen interest, now he was interested but only in the health of his brother.

Taking a pen from the pocket of the white coat he had on Mark tapped it against his fingers. "I'm aware that you're a doctor, Virgil, isn't it? Yes. How are you are Scott with medical knowledge?" He directed the question at Jeff but looked between the two.

"We have basic first aid knowledge but nothing too specific, we leave that to Virgil, he's always been a whiz when it comes to anything medical." Jeff smiled proudly. "He seems to soak it in, he was a doctor at the age of nineteen."

"I'm well aware, I've been following your work for some time." He smiled at Virgil, he seemed aware that the young doctor wasn't quite with it and went back to the matter at hand. "Alan had broken ribs from a previous injury which hadn't quite healed, they've taken another battering which has undone the healing process and which also caused a couple of ribs to penetrate his chest. During surgery we've fixed the damage and also repaired a punctured lung which was caused by one of the ribs, we're running some strong antibiotics through him to reduce the risk of infection but as with any open wound, there is a chance. We'll have to watch him carefully over the next forty eight hours."

"Punctured lung?" Scott breathed out, face screwing up with the idea of how it could have happened, not really wanting to know. "What does that mean for him?"

"One of the broken ribs left jagged fragments which penetrated his left lung, Alan would have been short of breath and his breathing painful but we've repaired the damage caused. Because of his age I wouldn't expect there to be lasting damage, but as with the ribs there's a risk of infection."

"What about his ankle? I came with him in the ambulance and it was definitely broken, I don't think I'll ever get the image from my mind." Working for International Rescue Jeff had seen worse, but never such an injury on one of his own sons, that would haunt him forever.

"Yes, the ankle, as you know, had been broken before the incident, but there is a new break which is quite substantial. It was decided that our best course of action would be to pin the break." Mark held the pen between his fingers, demonstrating what it meant. "There were quite a lot of bone fragments which made the surgery especially difficult, but I've managed to pin the break back in place with four small pins connected through to an outer structure. They run through his fibula which is a bone just above the ankle where the new break is situated. They're secured with pins and wire, there's an external structure which holds the whole thing in place, it does look quite scary but I've worked with them in the past and can be fantastic.  
The bone is held in place preventing movement through the ankle, the bones can refuse and the rest of Alan's ankle will have time to properly heal."

The room was quiet for a moment as they took it in, Virgil had leant forward slightly and nodded with what Mark was saying. It seemed to calm Scott somewhat as every time the man spoke he checked to see what Virgil was doing, whether he was happy with the treatment and verdict.

Jeff didn't think what had happened had quite hit him yet, everything that had happened to Alan seemed so unreal and yet still the threat loomed over them.

"On the same leg there was a dislocated kneecap, it's gone straight back in but they can have a habit of re-dislocating down the line so Alan will need some exercises to build up muscle and cartilage. There was quite a bit of swelling which we feared to be a break but he was lucky, it's heavily bruised but after a week or so it should look fairly normal. Alan's also received a fairly large bump to his head which needed stitches, we've shaved a small section of hair which I'm sure given his age he won't be too please with, but it's so we can keep an eye on the stitches and again check for infection and remove them at a later date."

Mark sighed, rubbing his eyes with a hand before continuing. "He's taken quite a battering, I don't like to be so forward with my assessment of patients but Alan needs to be in the right frame of mind to tackle his multitude of injuries, he's going to be feeling pretty low for quite a while which could effect his healing.  
It's going to be hard for you to see him right now but you have to stay positive, it'll help him emotionally which in turn helps the physical effects." He looked to Jeff, holding the man's gaze. "I understand that one of your sons was in a hydrofoil accident a couple of years ago?"

"Gordon, yes, he's made a full recovery," Jeff smiled faintly, not wanting to relive those weeks sat by his second youngest son's bedside as he refused to waken.

"That's good to hear, I bring this up as unlike many patients here, as a family you've dealt with such difficult recovery periods in the past. Obviously it would be preferably if you weren't here at all and such things had not happened, but being able to draw strength from them… I feel it could help."

"We'll be here for Alan no matter what." Scott muttered, eyes narrowing at the doctor. "Gordon's accident was horrible for all of us but we all stand by one another, he'll have the full support of his family no matter how long the healing process takes."

"Scott." Jeff absconded his son softly. "We're being asked to draw strengths, Mark isn't suggesting that we wouldn't stick by Alan, only that we've overcome obstacles before and we know full well we can do it again. This cannot be a set back for us, we have to be strong for Alan."

Mark nodded, a smile tracing his lips.

"Will Alan have any lasting damage?" Once again Virgil leant forward, eyes on the pen in Mark's hand. "If the bones in his ankle splintered then surely there's damage to the cartilage? Is he going to be facing issues with arthritis and mobility later on?"

"Can that happen?" Jeff added, frown lines creased his brow.

"Yes, it can happen but it will take some time to be certain of how much the cartilage has been damaged. Once Alan has started on his long road to recovery I'd like to have him in for some scans, that way we'll be able to see the full extent of any remaining damage. We may need to operate again down the line, there are options open if it comes to that but we'll discuss them if and when. For now Alan is out of surgery, fighting his way through all which has been thrown at him and no doubt hoping to see his family when he wakes up."

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Alan could not describe what he felt, possibly because he wasn't sure whether he was actually feeling much of anything anymore other than the need for rest and how heavy his fluttering eyelids were. He knew he'd been drifting in and out of consciousness for some time and that his family were around him, not all of them but enough to know that they were worried.

The drugs were good, each time a nurse came and injected into his IV line he felt a soothing cool feeling which calmed muscles which had begun to quiver and quelled the hum of questions building in his mind. He was fine with that, right now Alan wasn't sure he cared for what had happened or why he was there, he felt content to lye with the steady beep of his heart monitor and the occasional face looking down upon him.

It couldn't last. He slowly became more aware of the frequency of his sleeping patterns shortening and time spent awake lengthened. His awareness of what was around him grew and the blurred vision became clearer, maybe it was weeks passing or months, but it felt like years. The thought started to cause worry and doubt of how much time actually passed, his eyes flicked between faces yet they remained constant.

The tube in his throat was shortly removed, that was when the pain well and truly surfaced and the young blonde remembered exactly why he was laying on a hospital bed. He drank cool water from a cup with a straw, held out to him by the welcomed sight of Scott who lay a sweaty palm across his brow and gave half a smile.

It was hard to swallow, whatever drugs he was on seemed to numb his entire chest.

"What's the damage?" He croaked after the water was taken away.

They were in a private room, the blinds semi open to the corridor outside so the nurses and passing doctors could keep an eye on things. The room itself was a pale blue, a small armchair sat at the wall opposite the bed which Virgil was perched on, a plastic chair sat to the right of the bed and a small table to the left. Machines perched behind them and gave soft beeps.

Bright light swam in through the window warming the air and casting shadows through Jeff's worried face.

"You're going to be here another week and then we'll be transferring you to a private hospital to recover."

"Virgil?" Alan eyed his older brother at the end of the bed, ignoring his fathers reply with a lazy eye roll. He didn't really care where he was right now, just that he was safe. What he really wanted to know was why his body felt so unresponsive and sluggish. "Damage report."

Virgil drew himself upright and came round to the side of the bed, he wasn't himself but he smiled softly with the familiar warmth his family was used to. Somewhat relieved that Alan was awake and asking questions. Snagging the chart from the end of the bed he read through the notes he'd already read a dozen times, happy with the progress but still worried with the risk of infection and possible problems down the line.

"One of your lungs collapsed which was caused by broken ribs, further to the previous injury that is… And you've re-broken your ankle pretty badly Sprout, so I doubt you'll be running track this year."

Alan took it in slowly but with a slow nod of his head, eyes drifting downwards to the cage surrounding his lower leg which effectively held the bones in place giving them time to heal.

"You're also sporting a rather fine looking haircut thanks to a bump to the back of your head." Scott smirked, he'd usually ruffle the kid's hair so it explained why he hadn't. "Bald patches are very much in this year so I wouldn't worry, unless of course you've inherited Dad's hair loss gene and by removing the hair we've inadvertently started the hair loss early…" He looked suddenly very worried but couldn't hold the look, winking down at Alan who glared back.

"Ha. I was pretty sure the hair loss gene carried through the darker haired members of the family, I'm pretty safe but… you do seem to have some hair thinning." His voice wasn't its full gusto but he got his point across loud and clear.

Jeff laughed only to be treated to one of Scott's death glares. "Sorry son but it's true, if anyone's going to worry then it should really be you. It's too late for me."

"Don't worry Scott, Dad pulls it off well." Virgil clapped a hand on his eldest brothers back, looking down his nose at him in his well known 'Doctor Virgil' look which he'd gotten down to a T. "I'd give you another year, two if you're lucky. Use them wisely."

Scott signed and took Alan's hand in his own, squeezing reassuringly. It was pretty crowded around the bed, though two family members were missing.

"Gordy and John are just finishing some work and they'll be right here kiddo, you'll be putting up with fish face's bad jokes so soon you'll wish he'd taken longer to arrive."

Alan seemed reassured by the reasoning for his two extra brother's absence, he didn't press the matter as he was familiar with what his family regarded as business. Instead he sank back onto the pillows supporting him, physically and emotionally drained. He had been keeping an eye on Virgil and his downcast mood hadn't gone by unnoticed, a mood which didn't appear to have lightened too much from his youngest brother's awakening.

"Virgil?" He caught the young doctor's eye, holding his gaze for a moment until Virgil looked away. "Tess got hit by that car, I remember it clearer than anything yet no one will tell me what happened. I don't know whether to doctors and nurses here don't know or whether they won't tell me because it's too late. Taio thinks she's dead…" He wipe a hand across his face in an agitated manner, swatting away his fathers reassuring hand. "She saved your life, tell me she's still alive… you saved her, right?" He glanced between his family, the only image in his head that of a body arching through the air, rolling off a windscreen and hitting the floor with a soft thud. "Right?"

The three older Tracys shared a look between them, but it was Virgil who addressed the question, color flushing his face.

"She's alive Allie, her body sustained a lot of damage though so it's been touch and go."

"You've seen her?" Alan leant forward slightly but hissed as his ribs protested.

"Relax Alan, lay back" Jeff pushed Alan gently back into the pillows. "We came to make sure she was ok, we all owe her for what she did."

"Though it pains me to admit it." Grumbled Scott half heartedly.

It was Alan's turn to squeeze Virgil's hand, radiating warmth through it from the gladness he felt. "Will she be ok?"

"No idea, she was in a queue awaiting surgery when we left her. If she got into surgery then there's a chance… I still can't believe she did that."

"I'm glad she did, and I don't care how cruel it sounds but if she hadn't we might have lost you."

They went quiet for a minute in contemplation, a heavy air hanging over of what could be to come. It was a world away from the years spent on their island soaking in the sun and worrying about how long to wait after meals before taking a dip in the pool.

Alan sighed loudly, breaking their reverie and drawing Virgil's attention back.

"Is she here? In this hospital I mean?"

"Yeah, she's upstairs… well she was last time we were here."

"Do me a favor?"

"Hmm?" Virgil frowned.

"Go and give her my thanks? I know you're worried and for some stupid reason you're feeling guilty, you need to go see she's ok."

Virgil ducked his head down, staring blankly at the plain bedding. "What if she's not ok?"

"She's too stubborn to die." Scott chipped in, shrugging when his father raised an eyebrow. "No way is she going to die whilst I still have her car keys."

"Fair point." Jeff chuckled.

"Fine, I'll go and see. But if the doctor stops by I want a full replay upon my return, ok?"

Alan smirked. "Facial expressions and all, don't you worry."

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Taio had struck lucky and hit upon a visiting doctors scrubs in the locker room, he'd had to break into a few lockers but eventually he had the full getup. Coat, stethoscope, scrubs, and mostly importantly an identification card naming him 'Visiting Doctor - William Loch."

Getting hospital access had literally been a walk through, straight past the heightened security and into the main building. At the main desk he'd played lost and pointed to the ID card explaining that he was visiting for a few days and was useless with directions, hospitals being the worst place for someone who was easily lost in a paper bag.

Very soon he found himself strolling down the corridor on the way to a young Alan Tracy's room, nodding and smiling as he passed staff, patients and visitors in his wake. It was a piece of luck that the kid had ended up there, no doubt he'd be transferred to a private clinic soon but for now he was in a hospital which main cliental were drunks, drug addicts and gun shot victims.

He was almost a hundred yards away when suddenly he ducked around down a corridor, eyes downcast as a tall figure strode along, stopping to ask a young nurse something before heading to the elevators.

Virgil Tracy, the middle Tracy son.

Change of plan.


	19. Recover

**Sorry this is so short, I was going to continue (you'll see why and hate me for it) but there are only 2/3 chapters left, this seems to flow onto the next one quite well. Thank you so much for the reviews, they are lovely and so kind. There are kind thoughts going out to each of you.**  
**This would have been uploaded sooner but I had a paper on evolution which has left my brain warped... how glad I am not to have to reference fanfics! x**

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Virgil was directed to a nurses station a few corridors away, following signs which seemed to be pasted on all the passing walls and intersections he found his way there without problem. The hospital had painted handy color strips along the corridor floors so it was basically just following them until he hit the large desk which stood on the centre of that floor of the hospital.

Thankfully the nurse who'd been with Tess before was behind the desk typing away at a computer, he caught her eye as she glanced up and offered to take him to the room Tess had been assigned.

"Did she get through her surgery ok?" Virgil questioned as he followed in the opposite direction to which he'd previously came.

The nurse, introduced as Mary, was dark haired and at the age where she could be described as motherly. She had a bit of extra weight to her and seemed to wear a constant smile, admirable in such a stressful profession.

"She went in not long after you saw her on your last visit." Mary nodded, holding a door open for him. "I can't discuss details with you without her consent but I can say that she's coping better than we would have expected, I know she'll be glad to see a familiar face." She frowned for a moment. "She'd rather be elsewhere, if you catch my drift."

"Ah, not an easy patient." Virgil knew exactly what Mary meant, years of chasing down his own family members who had escaped the infirmary had taught him that appreciation didn't always come with the job.

A few years ago John, the most laid back of the Tracy brothers, had received a knock to the head after a mountain rescue in Peru. He had no obvious injury but for safeties sake Virgil had decided to keep an eye on him for the following twenty four hours. It had taken John little over two hours to snap and go AWOL.

Unfortunately John had received a concussion, that much was made clear when he started using his com watch to 'radio in' that he was being followed by the secret service and that their thoughts were no longer safe. It had taken four hours to find him and another two to coax him down from the tree he'd somehow set up camp in. That was also the first time they'd discovered his inapt climbing ability.

Yes, Virgil knew what patients could be like. His three other brothers all had equal claims to fame when it came to ridiculous medical getaways.

"You could say that." Mary sighed but the smile on her face remained. They'd reached the elevator and took a moment to wait for the doors to open before stepping in. "She will appreciate your visit, we haven't found any family and she wouldn't allow us to call any of her close friends. How's your brother doing?"

"Alan's bearing up, all things considered you know?" He stared at the lit up buttons blankly for a second. "I don't know what we'd have done if we'd lost him." A gentle hand found its way into his own and he looked at Mary with a soft smile.

"Concentrate on the fact that he's here, he's healing and he's surrounded by family who love him. You need that as much as he does right now, so don't go feeling guilty or caught up in things past, there's nothing you can do about that. You hear me?"

"Yeah, I know. I keep telling myself over and over again, it'll just take a while to believe it."

When the elevator doors opened they stepped out onto a corridor that looked near enough identical to the last, but Mary seemed to know the layout like the back of her hand and set off to the right, drawing to a stop thirty yards down outside a darkened room.

"She may be sleeping, don't let it put you off though. Sitting with her may help calm both your nerves."

"Thanks." With a curt nod and tight smile Virgil entered the room, eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness.

* * *

Gordon was tired, hungry and in desperate need of seeing Alan. It had taken the best part of forty eight hours to control the flames enough to render their services no longer needed. Forty eight hours on a two man crew with only Brains there for guidance and relaying updates from the hospital.

The '_Alan's in surgery_' update had been followed by a lot of dead air which left both Gordon and John with an empty feeling in the pit of their stomachs. They'd had to try and focus their full attention on the blaze though, the possibility of further problems involving the gas mains had kept them all on tender hooks. They wanted to visit the hospital, but not as patients.

The old building had burnt steadily but consistently, bringing it to a controlled level had taken some time and the cooperation of Justice Collins and all of his men. The police had been semi useful, keep back nosey bystanders as much as was possible whilst doing what seemed like as little work as possible in the process.

Eventually the gas terminals had been switched off which brought a huge weight off all of their shoulders, with that worry gone they could concentrate on the heart of the fire. John had taken off in Two in order to collect water to douse on top of the flames leaving Gordon an honorary firefighter on the ground.

His visor had come off after a while, the smoke and ash had rendered the visor blinding and his skin had long since blackened beyond recognition, it seemed the only good use the black billowing smoke bore. His Thunderbird's uniform, once a blue metallic symbol of International Rescue, had become grey and charred, almost unrecognizable amongst the faded red and yellow firefighters who were in the same predicament.

Forty eight hours later Gordon had joined John and they'd piloted Thunderbird Two back to the island, worn out and bodies begging for rest. Though rest wouldn't happen any time soon, they had both long since decided that as soon as the rescue was complete they'd be heading to their youngest brother's bedside.

"Shower, food and a return flight log?" John yawned, making his way down the lowered walkway from Two. His blonde hair had gone grey somewhere over the previous couple of days, it stuck to his skin and left tear lines down his face where the sweat had ran.

"Brains said he'd do the log for us as long as we agreed to rest en route to the hospital, we'll have to toss a coin for who co pilots first." Chewing his lip he was tempted not to mention the other instruction he'd been given but voiced it anyway. "We're also not to go over the engine limit, we have to stick to protocol or we'll be grounded."

"Right, now I just want to be clean and head stateside, as long as we're heading in the right direction I think we should count our blessings."

Heading up into the main house the two men split off in different directions heading to their own rooms. John stopping by the kitchen to gulp down a couple of glasses of water in an attempt to stop the sandpaper feeling in his mouth and chest.

* * *

The curtains were drawn against the brightness of the day, blacking out any stray rays of sunlight that threatened to encroach on the darkened bed and steadily beeping machines.

Virgil was surprised to see eyes blinking over at him, tired but awake.

"Hey." He breathed, frozen as the door clicked closed behind him.

Tess smiled faintly. Her arms were attached to wires and gauze covered sections of skin, but she waved her fingers lazily. "I'm still here."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"They told me you'd found Alan, how is he?"

"He's recovering, he was pretty messed up when they brought him in but they do good work here. When I left him he was making jokes about Scott going bald so I think he'll be ok."

Smiling Virgil pushed himself away from the wall and stood tentatively beside the bed, mindful of the mismatch of machines surrounding it. He recognized them but tried to ignore the body of medical knowledge inside of him crying out to diagnose the list of damage.

"How did your surgery go?"

"I hear it went well, they've stopped tiptoeing around me so much." Tess rolled her eyes towards the door. "Maybe it's the medication, but I don't think I'll die today. I am optimistic."

Letting out a breath he'd been holding for what felt an eternity Virgil finally allowed himself to snag the board at the end of the bed and read the notes attached. Admittedly she was on a lot of pain medication and various other drugs but the worst of the damage was under control and was being dealt with. As with Alan there could be complications, but she was in the right place and wasn't likely to go jumping in front of any more cars anytime soon.

"What made you do it, Tess?" He replaced the board, perching carefully on the edge of the bed. "Jumping in front of the car. You saved my life."

She didn't need time to think of a response. "You have more to live for Virgil, and I say that in the least morbid way possible. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to die but when I was stood there everything slowed down and it was you or me. That short time I spent with your family told me which loss of life would make the biggest effect, and it wasn't mine."

He didn't know how to respond, out of all the reasons she could have given that was one that had never crossed his mind. A selfish part of him had hoped she'd tripped and accidentally pushed him from the car's path, just so the weight of knowing she'd perhaps given her life for his would be taken from his shoulders. It was a selfish hope and a somewhat ridiculous and unlikely one, but it had been there.

When Tess Zucco had lost her mother her father had turned his back on her, when Jeff Tracy had lost him wife he'd done the same to his family… but only for a short while. He'd come back and built the family up stronger than ever before, the loss of their mother made the appreciation for one another a hundred times stronger. Even if it had take Alan a while to realize it.

Virgil couldn't imagine what life would be like if Jeff had never come back to them, if he'd followed Zucco's path instead of creating his own. Tess's answer was a reflection of what could have been.

"I wish you didn't think that." He breathed, hand reaching out to take hers. "But, for what you did, thank you."

"Yeah, I know." Smiling softly she swatted his hand away. "You can take that guilt off your shoulders. I had a few seconds to think and that's what I did, I don't for a second believe that you wouldn't have done the same for someone else."

"I hope that theory is never tested… what are you going to do once you get out of here? With your optimistic survival and all?"

"Could be a while, but I suppose I'm due a long holiday in the sun. Somewhere away from the rain and maybe away from speeding cars."

"Amen to that."

Her eyes lost focus for a minute as she stared off into space, perhaps thinking of a lapping shoreline and an endless beach. Virgil sure was; Tracy Island never felt so beautiful or so appealing.

The tiredness of the last few days and the darkness of the room relaxed him, watching the steady rise and fall of Tess's breathing, the soft beep of machines breaking the silence.

After a few minutes he stood, Tess's eyes had shut and her breathing had slowed. It was time to return to Alan, though by now the kid was probably doing the same as Tess and pushing out the Z's. She didn't have her usual spark but he was surprised to see her sat up and talking, it was no surprise that she couldn't keep it up for long. Her body had battles to fight.

Quietly he made his way out of the room, mind concerned with whether he'd find his way back down to the Alan's again, for a Doctor his sense of direction was somewhat lacking - as Scott often brought up when they were 'working', it was a good thing the 'birds had satellite positioning. Virgil really didn't want to have to face the shame of calling Scott or his dad for a reminder of the room number, but right then his sluggish mind wasn't helping and he had to blink back the idea of sleep.

Huffing he turned away from Tess's room to make his way to the elevator, hoping to find another friendly nurse or member of staff who could direct him on his way. For a lower end hospital they were going above and beyond with the patients.

Suddenly Virgil felt himself being pushed back, he stumbled, too surprised to make a sound as he tripped back into Tess's room and was backed up against the far wall. The door shutting with a thud behind. Looking up Virgil found himself face to face with Taio Zucco, and a very large knife.

"_What the_ _hell_?"


	20. Wouldn't You

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* * *

Taio looked every bit the half crazed obsessive lunatic Virgil had expected yet hoped never to encounter, his skin was clammy and his eyes were bloodshot in a way that suggested a lack of sleep or perhaps more caffeine than Jeff Tracy consumed in a year.

It didn't look like the man had changed his clothes in days and the smell of tobacco smoke was choking the air. Flashes of memories where the Thunderbirds had worked in scenarios which reflected the scene assaulted Virgil's mind but only the beginnings of each situation, how they had panned out seemed suddenly beyond grasp.

He forced long breaths through his nose as he gritted his teeth, hands wrapped round Taio's wrists as though he had any chance at all of wrestling the knife away. It was pressed firmly against his throat and cut into his skin with each panicked quick gasp of air, threatening to spill his life out onto the hospital floor.

"Seems my luck has changed." Taio spat the words into Virgil's face, he was literally shaking with adrenaline. "Getting to Alan was going to prove difficult, but then you stroll right on by. Apparently your father doesn't care much for his families well being as he keeps letting you all down."

Virgil was aware that the hospital had gone to great lengths to secure the perimeter and increase the security, but he also knew that they were in a rough area of the town and didn't have much in the way of funding or backing from the police department. If he got through the day he swore to himself that it would be rectified, he'd make sure things improved for the sake of the staff and patients.

"You're going down for what you did to Alan Taio, don't make it worse for yourself. Walk away now and you can hand yourself in, it'll work in your favor." He picked his words carefully and spoke slowly, trying not to allow his fear to edge them.

"Do you really think I care about that? After what Jeff Tracy has done to me and all I've lost because of him!" He hissed the words but his voice was rising, if he was any louder he'd draw attention to the fact he was there. Virgil hoped maybe it would come in the form of Troy, head of security, and not the middle aged motherly looking nurse who'd guided him to the room.

His eyes darted around the darkened room quickly, taking every small detail in and looking for something he could use as a weapon. There was nothing, anything that may have been remotely useful was sat on the other side of the room by Tess's bed.

Tess. He'd forgotten about Tess. Suddenly he was urgent, eyes pleading out for Taio to take in the sleeping figure on the bed behind him.

"Taio. Your daughter."

"You killed her! What did she do to deserve that?"

"No. No we didn't." He tried to keep his voice calm, to try and regain some control over the situation though he knew he had none other than his own words. "She's going to be ok, she's alive Taio. Tess is alive. Just look be…"

"Stop lying to me." The knife pressed closer making Virgil's breaths painful. "All you do is lie, you Tracy's are all the same… I'm so sick and tired of letting Jeff walk over me. We used to be friends and this is how I'm treated? My own daughter is dead because of you!"

"Look behind you." Virgil gasped as he felt the first drops of blood rolling down his skin. His head forced back so he was staring up at the ceiling.

"Look behind me? What kind of fool do you…"

"Dad?" The word was an expelled breath but in the quiet of the room sounded all too loud to be mistaken.

Taio released the pressure of the knife but kept his hold on Virgil, eyes widening and skin instantly paling. He didn't turn though.

"Dad…" Louder, life in the words which couldn't be mistaken. "What are you doing… let him go!"

Virgil could hear Tess scuffling in the bed but his whole attention was on the man before him, unsure whether Tess's awakening at that moment in time was a good or bad thing. Machines started to beep and he realized with sickening dread that she was trying to move towards them, broken bones and bruised battered skin inching closer,

"Stay where you are Tess! You… your body can't take the movement, stay where you are or you'll do more damage!"

He still couldn't see her but the scuffling stopped. The machines continued to beep from whatever damage she'd done, any minute someone would be entering the room to see what the problem was, unfortunately it would most probably be one of the nurses or doctors and not security. Taio remained motionless, still staring wide eyed straight through Virgil as though in shock or frozen in time, Virgil couldn't tell.

"Dad? Please, look at me… I'm not dead, but if it wasn't for the Tracys I would be. Dad?"

Taio blinked wide eyed and took long deep breaths, steadying the shaking of his hands before focusing back on Virgil. Confusion and indecision lingered in his expression before he pushed away from Virgil and finally turned to look at his daughter. It was all Virgil could do not to slide down the wall in relief, though he was still trapped and didn't dare risk running for the door.

"Tessa? La mia figlia… I thought you were dead. Come siete…?"

The Italian mixed effortlessly with his English but carried the same tone, lost and unsure yet the longing for reassurance and perhaps relief. He waved his hands in the air hopelessly, running one through his disheveled hair before stumbling forward to stand by the bedside. Mouth opening and closing wordlessly before looking between Virgil and his daughter. She'd pulled her IV out which left blood running down her arm, stark red against the white sheets, screaming life.

He stared at the blood for a moment before back to her face, eyes locking. "Siete ferito?" He came closer, tears in his eyes as his whole body seemed to deflate, he reached out but she waved him away. The action lacked any real energy and she sagged back on the bed but he didn't try again.

"I'll be ok Papa, though seeing you going round attempting to kill people doesn't make me feel great. What are you doing?" Tiredness was heavy in her voice but it made her point all the more clear, for the first time Taio bore a look of guilt. The weight on her shoulders was all his. Maybe if she could just get him to understand.

Virgil daren't have moved, he remained leant against the wall, eyes drifting to the door and closed blinds in the hope that no one would enter at that moment. Before he'd wished so desperately for the door to swing open for the cavalry to arrive but now father and daughter needed time to make clear their understanding, to make clear the real blame and to stop things before they were made worse.

Taio took some long breaths, gripping the bed frame unsteadily, knuckles flashing white. "I thought you were dead Tess… you were with Jeff and then I heard that you were… he took everything from me! Everything! First he refuses my business and suddenly he's taken my daughter, what was I meant to do?" Anger sparked his words but he was confused now, doubt lacing their meaning and power. "I have nothing left Tess. Nothing."

"You have me. And if you didn't have me? You'd have Mama's memory to protect and live by. You think Mama would have wanted this? What would she say if she knew…"

"You have no idea, she was gone before you even had a…"

"I know. Don't ever think that I don't." Tess closed her eyes, leaning back into the pillows as she concentrated on her breathing. "When she died I didn't lose just one parent, I lost two. I have no idea how to make you understand because I don't even know you, yet you're killing people in my name? Do you see how ridiculous that is?"

"It's not like that." He edged towards her, knife hanging loosely in one hand whilst the other sought out her blood free hand. "I love you Tess, you must know I'd do anything for…"

He suddenly span as the door opened, finding himself face to face with a surprised Scott Tracy, eyes darting over the room and surveying the situation. Confusion was quickly replaced by anger.

Seeing Virgil backed against the far wall and the bright red blood staining the hospital bed Tess lay on, it only took a split second for Scott to glance at the knife in Taio's hand and come to his own conclusion of the situation.

Virgil opened his mouth to try and stop him but it was too late and even if he could have spoken he wasn't sure what words would have worked, Taio had seriously hurt Alan and in Scott's eyes the guy was going down whatever.

He'd tried to kill their youngest brother, allowed his men to almost run over Virgil who had only been spared by Tess's actions, and cost the emergency services thousands on putting out a blaze which could have easily been so much worse.

Scott dove towards the man, spitting rage before he truly knew what he was going to do, only intent on making the man pay for the hurt and pain he'd caused. Taio was taken by complete surprise but instinctually raised the knife, unsure of his actions but his objective as ever to protect his own before anything else.

Virgil finally found his bearings and leapt forward to help but everything moved so fast, he had no time, only an all too close view of Taio throwing Scott to the floor before they both grappled for the knife, the machines by the bedside were shoved aside and more beeping arouse, the silence completely shattered by the high pitched and shrill sound of falling apparatus and bodies.

Scott quickly got the upper hand, kicking Taio in the ribs and clambering over him to restrain the man, but Taio kept forcing the knife closer and closer towards Scott's chest and in a clumsy moment of confusion it was not Scott who found himself injured. He pushed against the weapon, turning the holder's hand so it faced back at him and glinted in the light, for a few long seconds they seemed to have reached a stalemate but it didn't last. Taio's arm shook and gave under the pressure Scott forced upon it, collapsing down onto his own body and inadvertently sending the knife into his chest and deep into his heart.

Maybe it was a heart attack or the mere depth of the blade, but the man was dead before his last breath had left his lungs. Eyes flickering surprise before his life flashed away.

The room was suddenly filled with medical staff and the security guard they'd seen when entering the hospital, Troy. Virgil wasn't entirely sure where the guy had been but his sudden arrival must had made him painfully close the entire time he'd been trying to literally save his neck. The man pulled Scott away and easily restrained him against the wall, Scott was still driven by adrenaline and didn't seem to realize what he'd done but Troy was a foot higher and build of muscle. Confusion hung in the air as staff rushed not just to the fallen man's side but to Tess's, her arm still pulsing blood. She lay back on the bed white faced and unmoving but for her lips, silent words as injected drugs took effect.

For his part Virgil tried to explain over the frantic buzz of noise but no one was listening, there was a doctor trying to resuscitate Taio, pumping his check and breathing breaths into unresponsive lungs. Machines were wheeled into the room and electric sparked but the man remained unmoving and unresponsive.

The flurry of activity and urgency found Virgil quickly ushered into a family waiting room along the corridor, alone and concern for Scott worrying him. Picking up his cell he called his dad, hoping beyond hope that the situation wouldn't find a way of turning against them.

Amid all of the worry, fear and panic, one emotion began to arise with a certainty he could believe in above all over; Alan was safe.

* * *

The realization that Taio was actually dead didn't hit him until Scott was being escorted from the room by two members of security, he was still resisting with the full intention of making sure the guy knew exactly how upset he was.

As he was backed out into the corridor Scott saw the machines surrounding the man who had caused his brother so much harm, he saw a white coated doctor giving Taio chest compressions and the small but significant shake of head from a nurse that said it was all over.

Karma could do whatever it wanted to him because Scott sure as hell wouldn't have said that he was upset or that he regretted his actions, for all he knew he'd potentially saved lives by taking the man down.

Plus, he was still unsure as to exactly what had happened in the room. Virgil look shaken up and had bloody marks on his neck and Tess had blood dripping down her arm, foxes caught in the headlights as he'd swung open the door to greet the situation.

The security guards escorted the eldest Tracy son down to their office rather publicly, camera phones flashed as he walked along corridors, down on the elevator and through the main accident and emergency reception. No amount of money could fix that, in a matter of moments the internet would be ablaze with Scott Tracy's dramatic hospital arrest.

He couldn't care less. For the first time since he'd been a child he realized that it didn't matter what the outside world thought, how newspapers perceived them as a family or how they could use their public image to gain power and money. All that mattered was family, it was all that ever mattered and if it meant taking the ultimate stand to protect them then he'd stand in front of those cameras and happily ride the media wave which followed.

"Wait here Mr. Tracy, we'll be locking the door so would appreciate your co-operation."

What they really meant was 'leave and it'll make us look bad', but Scott did as he was told and sat himself down in front of the stacked screens of hospital CCTV. Idly watching the black and white recordings as his head put together what had happened.

His father had sent him after Virgil a few minutes after the guy had left to see Tess with the farce that Virgil needed support, though Scott knew full well that his father wanted to talk to Alan alone. Gordon and John had been sent in search of coffee and food and he was the last remaining obstacle between Alan and a heart to heart chat slash chick flick moment.

Scott quite fancied his own talk with the kid without his family listening in, he needed to tell him how loved he was and how the family needed him. Things he'd never said yet presumed Alan had always known, though there was nothing like nearly dying to get those words voiced out loud.

Swinging back on the swivel chair he closed his eyes and took a moment to truly appreciate the feeling of knowing Alan was safe. After everything was sorting the kid would have to become some kind of master black belt or kung fu champion.

* * *

It took a while to piece together what had happened, though admittedly the police were better at piecing together clues on a crime scene than they were at tracking missing people. Different departments were involved and there were witnesses willing to give statements, Tess had been moved back into the high dependency ward but she had woken long enough to give a short account of events.

Virgil had got his nerves back in check and had been relieved to have the chance of explaining what had happened, he had marks on his neck where Taio had pressed the knife - that couldn't be argued with. Or the fact that the guy was already a wanted man and had been dressed in hospital garb, pin badge stolen from a visiting physician and unauthorized access to a security clearance floor.

Scott was cleared, for then at least, they were classing his actions as self defense and that when the knife had struck Taio's check the hand gripping it had been Taio's own. If it came to court that should have been evidence enough to see that Scott wasn't sentenced. His brother had been threatened and trapped, and Scott had clearly seen blood on Tess, he'd taken charge of the situation and it had ended in an 'unfortunate' manner. The words of the cops, not Scotts.

John and Gordon had retrieved their two stray brothers from the security office where they'd been left some hours later and after a trip to the station and back, they'd been offered a hotel but with Alan still freshly back in their lives they'd opted to find accommodation later. There were always hotels and being a Tracy, there was always money.

Jeff had wanted to know everything, from his son's involvement to the true cause of death of Taio Zucco which was as yet unknown. He'd had his lawyer in New York put on standby and had Penny dealing with the aftermath of the press coverage and questions from the media. There was already a rumor going around that Scott Tracy had been arrested but later released without charge, Penny just had to inject some more truth and make a few subtle comments when 'accidentally' running into the press. Maybe a few overly loud phone calls with Jeff discussing how things were…

The biggest worry right then was Alan's well being and continued recovery, the kid was a fighter but he had a long road ahead of him. John had been the one of break the story to him later in the day when he'd questioned why his family kept vanishing, and in the end it had been John to fall asleep before they'd returned and not Alan.

A week later found the world turning at the same speed as it always had, the hospital food was still just as bad and Alan's bedside manners still left room for improvement.

"How long till I can go home?"

"It'll be another week at least sweetheart."

Alan sat propped in bed, his private room being welcomed into yet another new day. The nurse opened the curtains to bright sunshine and a dazzling blue sky. After a few days of refusing to leave his bedside he'd finally been able to persuade his family that he really didn't need them there twenty four seven, they needed rest as much as she did and if they kept falling asleep around him he'd start developing some type of complex.

"One of my brothers is a doctor, doesn't that count for anything?"

The nurse pulled the window open a few inches letter fresh air into the stale room, distilling the smell of antibiotics and cleaning fluid that forever assaulted the nostrils. She came round to Alan's bedside and leant him forward gently so she could plump the pillows.

"You're not fit for transport Alan, it doesn't matter if your brother can perform surgery blindfolded, one wrong move and you'll be setting yourself right back to the start." Sitting him back she went to check the notes on the end of the bed, snagging the clipboard. "Looks like you'll be having some new x-rays later today with doctor Howarth, she'll be able to give you a better idea of how things are going. Plus you'll be able to see for yourself."

"Reckon I'll be allowed to keep them?" He enquired, raising an eyebrow questionably. "Just need one of those light box things and my room would look pretty awesome."

"Your room here or at home?"

"Both?"

"So you want your bedroom at home to look like a hospital? And here's me thinking that you were wanting to get out of here."

Alan rolled her eyes at her but they shared a smile, she wasn't about to admit to him that X-rays no longer required light boxes and in fact were nothing more than computer files. They were viewable on doctor Howarth's computer screen, though no doubt she could email him them if he really wanted proof of his broken bones.

He closed his eyes for a minute, she was beginning to think he'd fallen asleep when he blinked blue orbs at her and frowned.

"How's Tess today?"

She sighed, replacing he clipboard at the end of the bed and perching next to Alan. "Slow progress but she'll get there. You should be thankful Alan, your hospital visit is going to be fleeting in comparison to hers."

"Is she still declining visitors?" She hadn't allowed anyone other than doctors and hospital staff in since her father's death, Virgil had tried but he'd been turned away.

"Tess allowed a friend in yesterday, it wasn't for long but she seemed more upbeat afterwards. She'll get there Alan, don't spend so much time worrying. Some people don't bounce back quite as quickly as a Tracy but it doesn't mean that they won't."

Alan smiled thinly. "Maybe she needs to get back in the sun as much as I do, I see a well deserved holiday heading our way. What do you think? Reckon I could get my dad to take some time off?"

"For you Alan, your dad would do anything. Ask for a day and he'll give you a year, right now is the perfect time to make cheeky requests. Exploit the opportunity." She grinned wickedly before heading to the door. "I'll be back in ten with your breakfast, you stay right there you hear?"

"Yes ma'am."

"It's Mary, how many times…"

* * *

**I cannot believe I'm saying this but there's one chapter left, it feels like an end to some kind of annoying lack of updates era... Overdose me with reviews. **


	21. Moving On

It didn't take Alan long to realize that he was being given half truths about leaving the hospital, a week slowly became a month and each time he asked when he'd be allowed home he was told he'd be reviewed the following week. He soon came to understand that the reviews were about his progress and recovery, and it would be a while until anyone really thought about his readiness to return home.

It was one of those moments in his life where Alan realized that he was growing up, his childish idea of having full health care back home with Virgil left for his twenty four seven care seemed somewhat selfish and an impossible dream. Broken limbs and torn flesh required scans, blood tests, x-rays and specialist surgical opinions. Virgil was good but he was only one man and although clever there was no way he'd have specialty knowledge in each area which affected Alan's health.

The island had to wait six weeks before Alan was finally given a clean enough bill of health to return to his sunshine slice of paradise, strict orders and a list of exercises longer than he was tall.

"We'll be expecting video calls every few days for the first couple of weeks to discuss Alan's progress." One of the doctors told Virgil as Alan sat on the edge of the hospital bed he'd spent the last month and a half in, struggling to pull socks on whilst trying to look blasé and easy with the simple task. It earned him an eye roll from his older brother but thankfully they hadn't gone back on the promise. "He'll be expected to return in two weeks time for a review and if things go well he'll need to return in a further two weeks for a physiotherapy review and some scans."

The doctor wore the typical white coat, stethoscope over his neck and clipboard in hand as he signed papers and handed them to Virgil for counter signing.

"What about medication?" The older Tracy asked, scanning through the documents casually and nodding as he took in the contact numbers and instructions. "Specifically pain meds, if he's not coping should I bring him back in or up the dose?"

The doctor smiled at Alan who had raised an eyebrow, wanting to argue that he'd be fine but thinking better of it. He'd tried that game before when blatantly all around him knew he wasn't coping.

"Alan. If you're having any problems with the pain give me a call, though at this stage you've been coping well and should be beginning to reduce the amount you're on. I'd be surprised if any pain you're feeling increased though of course it can happen, if in doubt call me or Doctor Richards. You've made great progress in these last weeks and our main focus now if getting you that clean bill of health."

"I take it I won't be running track this year?" Ignoring his shoes he hopped gently off the bed, mindful of the recovering broken ankle. He'd lost the cast a week ago but the movement in the joint was so far limited and had a habit of building up pins and needles and catching him off guard.

"Not this year, though I hear you've got a pool? Some gentle swimming exercises could help muscle building and movement."

Virgil handed the clipboard of forms back and quickly ducked under the bed to retrieve Alan's track shoes, pushing his younger brother back onto the bed and proceeding to help him get them on, easily ignoring the 'tut' of disdain from the blonde. He didn't care if Alan could do it, since everything with Taio they'd all become a lot more protective and would be helpful whether or not Alan wanted them to be.

Half an hour later Virgil had persuaded Alan to keep the wheel chair they'd been given on loan and was pushing the young teenage along a corridor towards the elevator, bag slung over his shoulder. Scott and Gordon had grudgingly returned to the island a few weeks prior, swapping with John and Virgil who had been sent back even earlier. International Rescue had people relying on them and could not shut down for the whole of Alan's recovery, not only was it suspicious but it was putting lives at risk. Something the youngest Tracy had pointed out very clearly, stating that his care was in the doctor's hands and until he was back on Tracy Island, they had little to do with it other than visiting.

His father was in New York, the aftershock of Taio's death in the financial world had caused Zucco's stocks to plummet and many were out of jobs. Confusion still hung over whatever exactly had happened and many of the lower grade papers would creating their own stories over the man's fall from grace.

Jeff felt somewhat guilty for poaching his old friend's staff and management team but if he hadn't there'd be families without a pay packet and bills going unpaid, he figured that if Tess took control of the company then she could bring them back but until the ifs and when's of that possibility, Tracy Enterprises would offer job security and paid hours.

Tess's recovery was longer than Alan's, internal damage had caused problems leading to the loss of a kidney, part of her left lung had been removed and there'd been a few close calls on the operating table. She didn't seem to be grieving for her father as much as the situation that had led to where they were, it had taken a couple of long weeks for Tess to get herself pieced together psychologically.

Virgil was going to take Alan out to the car which would drive them to the small private airport, but first they were heading up to see Tess once more before they left. Her medical reviews were still placed a week apart so Alan was fairly sure she'd remain in the hospital for some time.

A few days prior Tess had been moved to a room which she shared with an older woman, victim in a car crash and in the same state of recovering as Tess. It seemed a clever move on the doctor's part as both were fairly grumpy patients, but together they had perked up somewhat. 'United in grumbles' as Jeff had so subtly put it.

The door was propped open by a chair, allowing light into the room from both the wide window and the busy corridor which looked straight out onto the nurses station. The woman who shared the room with Tess was absent, no doubt taken for tests, maybe it was an escape attempt no one had yet noticed.

Tess sat propped up in bed by a wad of pillows, a magazine spread across her lap as she lazily flicked a page before looking up and nodding a simple greeting.

"The nurses tell me you're making a getaway today, any chance you can smuggle me onto that island of yours?"

Virgil wheeled Alan up to the bed, seating himself on the edge of the mattress.

"You'll be out in no time." The young blonde smiled ruefully, mindful of how many times he'd been told the exact same thing and how irritated it had made him. "You have to serve your time like everyone else."

Virgil rolled his eyes. "You make it sound like a prison."

"Says the guy who actually choose hanging out in hospitals as a profession." Tess shuffled, irritated by the pillows behind her but lacking the necessary movement to sort them out. "If you're not going to help in the prison break then you can at least sort these out for me, you have no idea how irritating it is not to be able to reach backwards."

"You should have seen Alan trying to put on his socks earlier, good thing Gordon wasn't about or it would be on Youtube by now, dialing up the hits."

"Thanks Virg." Alan kicked out with his good leg landing a playful hit to his older brothers shin, playful but just hard enough to show his true irritation and embarrassment. "You'd better make good use of this time Tess, anything you need doing just ask Virgil. He has to do it because he's too polite to say no."

She gave Virgil a long look which broke into a sly smile. "Pillows first, then you can track down some chocolate, which before you say anything I am allowed, I checked. Whilst you're doing that I can think of some more requests, what do you think Alan?"

"You heard the women, fluff those pillows."

After Virgil had muttered his way out of the room on the hunt for chocolate (milk chocolate, and nothing strong or involving any type of fruit), Tess turned back to Alan letting out a long held sigh.

Alan scooted the wheelchair back slightly so he wasn't having to look straight up to Tess, his neck was getting stiff and since learning of her father's death he didn't feel too comfortable with whatever private conversation she brought up regarding the man.

John had explained what had happened, though Alan had been highly medicated at the time and had since forgotten half of what he'd said. Scott had told him the second time he'd asked, though he highly suspected that Scott's version of the story may have been highly edited. It was all very PG.

Alan had been aware that there'd been a scuffle and that Taio Zucco had subsequently died, but he had been unaware of how close Virgil had been to losing his life. The guy was like a cat, though if he continued to lose his nine lives so quickly they'd have to sit him down for a serious talk. Ironic that neither of the near misses had involved international rescue, the biggest health risk concern any of them had faced up to that point. Not counting the avalanche which had killed their mother ofcourse.

"I'm sorry about your dad Tess."

"What do you mean you're sorry? He tried to kill you." She frowned, unsure how to take the statement. "You don't have to say that."

"I know I don't have to, but I mean it." Running a hand through his hair he gazed back out into the corridor. "He did some awful things, and yeah he tried to kill me… and Virg. But I don't believe anyone is born like that. If that's what bad decisions and experiences in life make you, then whose to say that good decisions and experiences can't set you right? Dying didn't make things better, it just left a Taio Zucco hole with no answers."

"You're sounding very Buddhist right now, we should probably light a candle or some incense."

"Seriously Tess, you can hate him for what he did but there were reasons." Looking back at her they met eyes, Tess's still weighing up Alan's words and the seriousness behind them.

"I wish I could think like that Alan, it might make things easier. I just feel so guilty all the time, for what he did before he died and for not feeling anything now that he'd gone. And then of course your dad's telling me that I need to take control of the company, people are out of jobs and the stocks are crashing and I haven't yet done a thing about it." Resting her head back against the pillows she stared at the ceiling, teary eyed and looking much younger than her years. "How am I supposed to take over? I have no experience and no interest in it, just people reliant on my choices to secure their jobs and futures. What if I make the wrong choices?"

"What if you do? Who has ever gone through life without making bad choices? I've messed up too many times to count but my family and friends are always there to back me up, it's taken me forever to realize it but I'm the person I am because of them." He pulled his wallet out of his jacket pocket and pulled out a small family photo, grinning faces staring up at Tess as she took it and joined the smiles.

"You have such a great family, how many knocks to the head did it take for you to see that?"

"Thanks." He smirked, taking the photo back and re-pocketing his wallet. "And far too many!"

They sat in a relaxed silence for a few minutes, the sunlight warming the air created a sleepy tone which found Tess and Alan stuck in their own thoughts, broken only when Virgil strolled back in carrying a handful of chocolate bars.

"Ok, so I couldn't decide, I figured if you're anything like Al you'd be picky and not like what ever I brought. So I bought one of each." Laying the bars on the small bedside table he sank into the chair and looked between them hopefully. "Anything else? Cause I had to go down two floors to find those, and then I got lost on the way back up."

Tess and Alan laughed, genuine laughter that hadn't been heard in a long time from either of them. Virgil promised to stay ten more minutes which turned into an hour, but eventually Tess became tired and nodded off and Alan was wheeled from the room and out of the hospital to the car. It was a good thing they owned their own planes else they'd have missed their planned flight hours ago.

"She seems to be coping better." Virgil mused, loading Alan's suitcase into the trunk of the black vehicle before coming round to the front passenger side to help Alan in, his hands were slapped away as the teenager easily maneuvered himself inside.

"She's freaked out about the business."

Virgil went back to the drivers side, buckling his own seatbelt and starting the engine. "I think I would be to, although she's got a support network ready to help and a temperament which will get her what she wants."

As Virgil paid the parking fee at the exit gates Alan gazed out of the window, happy to finally be returning to the island and leaving hospital behind.

"What's she doing with her car?"

"No idea, you'll have to ask Scott. I bet you ten bucks that was the first thing he asked." They pulled out into moving traffic, away from the hospital and towards the private airport on the outskirts of the city.

_Scott had seen Tess the week before, he'd flown over with the pretext of visiting his brother but it was clear that he had worries which weren't addressed until he'd visited her. Alan wasn't fully aware of what had happened concerning Taio's death until later that same day, he knew Scott had been somewhat pleased with the death up until he'd heard of the extent of Tess's injuries and Virgil's side of the story. After that he'd seemed somewhat lost, vying between different emotions._

_Scott had chosen a grey skied day to visit Tess, he'd spent the morning skulking in Alan's room whilst he worked up the courage to get it over with. Part of him still felt angry with her, maybe for the fact that Taio was her father, or that she hadn't stopped him herself, he didn't quite know why but the anger still resided. _

_Her room had been lit with overhead fluorescent lights which flickered intermittently, making the nauseous feeling he carried so much worse. Scott hadn't seen Tess since he'd been dragged from the hospital room where Taio had died. The new room was larger, two beds - one with a middle aged woman reading a book, and then Tess, laid back against a pile of pillows, eyes gazing out of the window. _

_"I wondered if you were going to visit." She broke the silence, the woman opposite raised her eyes from the book but after a short glare she went back to reading. "Though you don't appear to have brought the customary grapes or flowers, I'm disappointed." Her eyes flicked up to him, a hint of a smirk on her lips. _

_Gripping the rail that ran along the side of the bed Scott watched his knuckles turn white, wondering why he had come, why he'd needed to. _

_"I want to feel bad about your father, but I don't."_

_She sighed. "I want to feel bad about him dying, but I don't. I just feel let down, a bit lost, and angry."_

_"That's exactly how I feel." He pulled a chair over and sat, hands lacing together as he tried to wring out his thoughts. "I don't want your forgiveness, I just want you to know why I did what I did."_

_Tess let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. "I won't forgive you Scott because there's nothing to forgive, and besides, you didn't mean to kill him so you should really stop taking all the credit for it. Technically he stabbed himself."_

_Scott glared up at her. "Thanks. I feel so much better."_

_She shrugged lightly. "No worries, that's what you came here for. Self assurance."_

_"I was being sarcastic."_

_"Then what do you want to hear?"_

_"I don't know…" He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to recollect his thoughts. "I think I want you to be mad about it, it would make feeling angry towards you easier."_

_She looked surprised, an eyebrow raised as she scoffed. "You're angry with me? Still?"_

_"I can't help it, I think you're just one of those irritating people."_

_"Wow." She stared up at the ceiling and laughed softly. "You'll probably find it even more irritating that I actually find you amusing, you're like the idiot older brother I never had."_

_"Hmm." He considered the statement before smirking. "That is irritating. Though I am glad you didn't die."_

_"Yep, I'm sure that would have been really annoying for you. You wouldn't have been able to not apologize so directly." _

_"I didn't quite realize how much I wanted to see your reaction, I'd give you a six out of ten, maybe a five." He stood and put the chair back against the wall._

_"I give you a three out of ten for your rubbish 'I don't want forgiveness' spiel. It was uninspiring and I think I dozed off for a minute whilst you figured out how to form a sentence."_

_"Shut up Tess."_

_"Go away Scott."_

_They looked at one another for a few long seconds, the woman on the bed opposite loudly turning a page of her book as she grumbled under her breath. Deciding it was time to go Scott leaned in and kissed Tess on the cheek, a genuine smile on his lips. _

_"We'll see you when you get out, so don't vanish or turn evil. Oh, and I've been told to tell you that you're invited to the island when you're not wrapped in gauze and looking like an old piñata."_

_She smiled back. "Now I'm not sure if those are Gordon's words or your own."_

_"I also have your car, so consider it a hostage in the deal. Take that as you will Miss Zucco."_

_"See you later Scooter."_

_"In the sunshine Tess."_

Three weeks later Alan was found lounging besides the pool, sun raining down on his warm skin as he soaked up being finally rid of the wheelchair and the crutches which followed. He still had physiotherapy exercises and Virgil insisted on checking up on him every few days, but the pain medication was gone and he was able to move around without issue. His biggest worry was that his family wouldn't let him out of their sight again, a mother hen virus had swept the island.

The Thunderbirds were back up to their usual number of operatives, John had returned to replace Brains in Thunderbird Five and their father had resumed his role at command and control. There'd only been one call in the last few weeks but it had been a particularly stressful one; an earthquake in South America isolating a number of small villages and damaging larger building structures in a few larger towns.

Tess had recently been discharged from the hospital and had flown back to Italy to recharge and fully recover before returning to her father's business, she had been in close contact with Jeff regarding organization and keeping jobs open and salaries paid. He'd seemed to have taken the role of mentor, creating a support network around her and getting measures put in place to help her settle in when she returned.

She still hadn't visited the island and Jeff was unsure whether she ever would, but as Scott pointed out they did still have her car at Tracy Enterprises. She had to reclaim it at some point.

Jeff felt somewhat responsible for Taio's mistakes and the effect that had on the company and the criminal elements which had attached themselves to it, but he didn't regret his actions towards the man who had nearly cost him the lives not just one, but two of his sons. He felt responsible for not finding out about Tess sooner, for not making sure she was being looked after and for forgetting those family picnics where Lucille, Jeff and the boys had met Taio Zucco and his wife and shared happier times.

He could think of countless 'what ifs' and 'if only" s, but they came with the job, as the leader of International Rescue and of Tracy Enterprises, and with raising five boys for that matter!

Sitting back in his office chair and staring out across miles of tropical forest to the sparkling blue ocean beyond, Jeff allowed himself to feel content with his life. He raised a glass to Taio Zucco and his wife, wishing the fates had been kinder to them, but he had to live the life he had and enjoy it. Thinking of Taio brought back how close he himself had been to losing his family and turning into that man.

Right then and there, staring out into the horizon with the soft sounds of waves on the shoreline, Jeff Tracy was eternally thankful for his lot in life. He knew how important his family was, and he knew how much they needed one another.

The death of Lucille had created Jeff's desire to help prevent other families from having to deal with that kind of loss, and thus the Thunderbirds had been born. But to truly appreciate the importance of the lives of those they've saved, the one greatest achievement was appreciating the importance of the lives of their own.

Things weren't ending, they were only just beginning.

_

**Le Fin.**  
**I stirred some cheese in. **

**Thank you for the reviews throughout this fic, they've brought it from start to finish and without them there would be no story. The reviews from the last chapter helped shape this one, I spent a while considering how to play Alan's response to Taio's death but in the end decided that he probably wouldn't be too upset (after all, the guy did try to kill him). In lieu of that I added the Scott/Tess interaction as a replacement, the relationship between the two wasn't planned but it did amuse me. **

**Before you all rush off to leave one last review (for the sake of saving pandas... or Team Perry the Platypus if CC has her way), I have one last question. **

**Do you want another Alan fic? And if so, would you like to wait a few months (possibly winter/next spring) for a complete fic uploaded in one go, or would you like it uploaded as and when it's written, chapter by chapter? **  
**I have one which I've started but I'm still juggling things around, the idea is there but the composition still needs work. It doesn't connect to this fic in any way. **

**Thank you for the fantastic support, and for making sure this was completed. It is such a good feeling to know people have enjoyed it, this is by far the longest thing I've written. I will one day strive to go through the whole story, clean up mistakes, polish and sparkle the rough edges, and present it as truly finished.**

ThunderbirdMom, JoTracy123, Hedgi, Overkalix, Bubzchoc, EmilyJaden101, Thunderbird5, Joanne Brandon, Jo1966, Criminally Charmed, Shawty92x, Mimzy and mj star, MJ2901, Lady Lemons, Rosa241, Brittany1989, Thera-Rocklynn, Tarya Ni awtu, GateMadness, HellsGate969, hbruce, LiGi, chocolatelover1, Silver Bee, Ginny Star, Loopstagirl, Skoellya Seyth, peacelovegreen, Em1508, Susan M. M, Megz McGizzle, TangledPencils, FunkyWeeMonkey, Athena's Owl, MistyToryRabiyah, Karmine, Uzumaki Fenix, Faith Bonksie, Life Addict, Procrastination Is My Game, Thunderincrimson, shadowfox8, godsdaughter77, Silverbeard, babygirl09, wyld stallion, guerrero, High Queen Susan the Gentle, Iniysa, Jaguarsolaris, Pixie P, the-artist-19

**My love to all of you. **

**Gotyu x **


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